Diversity patterns in non-standard employment and their relationship with self-rated health in urban China from 2010 to 2021

Abstract

In recent decades, the rise of non-standard employment in China is thought to profoundly influence workers' health. Using data from the China General Social Survey 2010–2021, this study compares the self-rated health of workers engaged in various non-standard employment types with those in unemployment or standard employment in urban China. The research also investigates how these patterns have evolved over time among urban residents with different hukou types amid the expansion of China's welfare system and labor market shifts. We find that while unemployment is significantly related to worse self-rated health, the effects vary across different types of non-standard employment. Precarious employment has a more substantial adverse effect on health than part-time and self-employment, although the effect is less severe than that of unemployment. Between 2010 and 2018, the health impact of precarious employment declined, aligning with China's enhanced welfare system. However, its negative effect re-emerged in 2021. These patterns are particularly pronounced for urban residents holding agricultural hukou, highlighting the intersection of non-standard employment with the household registration system in shaping health outcomes within evolving labor markets.