Employmentweb_low

EmploymEnT, woRk, and hEalTh inEqualiTiEs - a global perspective
conditions and a globalised economy. Just as
downsizing/restructuring, outsourcing, and privatisation
have contributed to the growth of temporary work and
self-employed subcontractors, they have also affected the
health and well-being of the workers who continue to
hold nominally secure jobs. repeated rounds of
downsizing and restructuring in large public and private
sector employers have contributed to increased job
insecurity and workers’ concerns that their commitment
will not be reciprocated. This is also exacerbated by the
weakening of legislative or union-based collective
Footwear maquila workers in managua (nicaragua).
protection in wealthy countries (see case study 82).
source: antonio rosa (2005)
These changes often entail increased workloads and
intensity as well as changes to jobs and work processes (such as
multi-tasking).
There is now a substantial body of evidence confirming that
workers who ‘survive’ downsizing suffer from stress and other
adverse occupational health safety effects. reduced staffing levels
and increased workloads may contribute to premature burnout by
professional workers. reduced staffing may also affect the health
and wellbeing of others, such as hospital patients (see case study
83). downsizing and the growth of precarious employment can also
affect the working conditions of all workers in particular industries
as a result of increasing work intensity or specific spill-over effects.
for example, the presence of temporary and part-time workers can
lead to an increased administrative, training, or supervisory load on
full-time permanent workers. alternatively, work intensity may
increase as a result of competition for work between precarious and
permanent workers in the same labour market. one example is the
case of competition between self-employed and employee truck
drivers.
overall, these changes have not been addressed by existing
labour standards. While the occupational health and safety laws of
some countries require risk assessment/control and consultation
when employers make changes to work practices that could affect
occupational health and safety, implementation has usually been
minimal, leaving even those workers in conditions of full-time
employment vulnerable to differential health outcomes.
Unemployment
The devastating health consequences of unemployment have been
well-established by research since the 1930s. as documented
elsewhere in this book, unemployment has profound long-term
332