Self-perceived job insecurity and self-reported health: Differences between native-born and migrant workers based on evidence from the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey

Abstract

This paper analyses the association between self-perceived job insecurity and self-reported health by comparing two population groups, native-born and migrant workers, in EU15 countries. The econometric analysis employs data from the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey that was released in 2017. The health outcome examined in this study is self-reported health, which is a subjective indicator. Self-perceived job insecurity is an individual’s subjective evaluation of the possibility of future job loss. The association between job insecurity and self-reported health was tested using standard probit models and standard ordered probit models, considering the entire population sample, only native-born workers, only migrant workers. The results show that workers who think that they might lose their jobs have a lower probability of reporting very good and good health than workers who do not worry about losing their jobs, with job insecurity reducing the probability of reporting good health more for migrant workers than for native-born workers.