Abstract
We examined factors related to the psychological well-being of self-employed workers in Korea, and the moderation of these effects by occupational class. This secondary analysis examined the data of 14,454 self-employed individuals from the fifth Korean Working Conditions Survey (2017). In all occupational classes, psychological well-being score was greater in women, and increased with monthly income and the frequency of working at very high speed; there were lower mean scores in those who became self-employed out of necessity rather than personal choice; in addition, the score decreased as the number of musculoskeletal symptoms increased. The relationship of work factors with the psychological well-being of self-employed individuals also differed according to occupational class. In conclusion, our analysis indicated that self-employed workers in different occupational classes respond differently to identical stressors.
Highlights
During 2009, workers who were self-employed accounted for about 10% of all workers in Europe, with the lowest percentage in Estonia (4%) and the highest percentage in Greece (21%)
We examined the characteristics of workers in different occupational classes (Table 2)
Psychological well-being score was greater in women, those with higher monthly incomes, those who always or frequently worked at very high speed, and those who became self-employed by personal choice
Summary
During 2009, workers who were self-employed (independent workers who had no waged employees) accounted for about 10% of all workers in Europe, with the lowest percentage in Estonia (4%) and the highest percentage in Greece (21%). Analysis of the entire European Union (EU) indicated a slight decrease in the percentage of workers who were self-employed since 2005 [1]. Self-employed workers account for a greater proportion of all workers in Korea than in the EU, Korea has experienced a decrease in the proportion of such workers, from 24.1% in 1988 to 15.3% in 2016 [2]. The decrease may be partly due to a decrease in the number of farmers, most of whom are self-employed [5]. The decrease suggests a precariousness among the self-employed population
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