A behavioral approach to social security compliance targeting self-employed workers in Brazil

Long working hours have been associated with adverse physical and mental health outcomes; however, evidence regarding their relationship with satisfaction with work environment remains limited, particularly when long working hours are defined using a specific daily threshold. This study examined the association between working ≥10 hours per day and satisfaction with work environment among Korean wage workers, focusing on the cumulative number of such workdays per month. This cross-sectional study analyzed data from the 7th Korean Working Conditions Survey. A total of 24,269 wage workers aged ≥18 years were included after excluding self-employed workers, unpaid family workers, shift workers, and respondents with missing data. Working ≥10 hours per day was categorized as 0, 1-9, and ≥10 days per month. Satisfaction with work environment was categorized as satisfied or dissatisfied. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for dissatisfaction with work environment according to the number of long working days, adjusting for demographic and occupational characteristics. Compared with workers who did not work ≥10 hours per day, those who worked 1-9 days and ≥10 days per month showed progressively higher levels of dissatisfaction with work environment. After adjustment for demographic and occupational factors, the odds of dissatisfaction with work environment were significantly higher among workers who worked ≥10 hours per day for 1-9 days per month (OR: 1.380; 95% CI: 1.145-1.665) and ≥10 days per month (OR: 2.106; 95% CI: 1.627-2.725), demonstrating a dose-response relationship. Among the analytic sample of Korean wage workers included in this study, working ≥10 hours per day was associated with greater dissatisfaction with work environment, with a dose-response pattern according to the number of long working days per month.

This study examines the impact of a program designed to address the non-take-up of social benefits on healthcare utilization among targeted at-risk formerly self-employed workers in France. We test two main hypotheses: first, that sending a self-assessment questionnaire to the treated group can increase healthcare use; second, that personalized assistance from a social worker can enhance this effect. Utilizing a quasi-experimental framework (2014-2016) and synthetic difference-in-differences models to address selective entry into the various treatments, our results reveal that proactive information outreach alone increased healthcare utilization by 0.6%, while the combined approach with personalized assistance amplified this effect to 2%. In all configurations, access to services and healthcare consumption improved, while care pathways shifted, potentially toward preventive and early-stage treatments. Our findings support the use of multiple uptake strategies, such as targeting, proactive outreach, and tailored integrated benefit packages, in overcoming barriers to healthcare.

BackgroundWe performed a qualitative descriptive and analytical study, following the methodology known Expert Panel.ObjectivesTo identify and analyze the main barriers faced by small construction enterprises and self-employed workers in managing asbestos risks during renovation and demolition work.MethodsThe study was carried out using the Expert Panel (EP) technique with a total of 10 professionals with extensive experience in the Construction and Occupational Risk Prevention Sector.EP is a research technique in which a group of experts on the topic under study meet and reach conclusions and recommendations by consensus.ResultsThis mineral poses a significant environmental and public health problem. The PE identified buildings, industrial facilities, and other locations where asbestos is still evident through visual inspection, and these are included representatively in this publication. Its use in small contractors and self-employed workers focused on minor works and renovations where there may be significant risks from these pollutants. Therefore, in Spain, the number of deaths from Mesothelioma in the last 20 years amounts to 6983 and the models' other researchers add a multiplication factor of 3.8 to this, that is, for every death from mesothelioma, 3.8 more deaths are expected from another pathology associated with asbestos.ConclusionThe experts conclude that there is a need for inventories of buildings and constructions where asbestos is present, more specific health plans and surveillance, as well as the need to implement public policies to encourage asbestos removal.

Digital platforms have reshaped labour markets worldwide, increasing gig work opportunities, particularly for motorbike delivery riders in South Africa, a country grappling with high unemployment. However, these self-employed workers often face a lack of job security, benefits, and protections due to informality, weak labour laws, and deep socioeconomic inequality, highlighting the contrast with the International Labour Organisation’s decent work principles. This research explores the work experiences of platform-based motorbike delivery riders in South Africa, aiming to improve our understanding of platform-based work and decent work experiences in the gig economy. Within a constructivist paradigm, this study adopted a qualitative descriptive design to investigate the experiences of motorbike delivery riders in Gauteng, South Africa, with ten participants each undergoing two interviews. The data were analysed through hybrid thematic analysis. Findings reveal that precarious gig conditions and structural inequalities influence rider’s experiences of decent work, which can be categorised into three interconnected decent work themes: (1) safety and healthcare, (2) income security, and (3) work–life balance. This research underscores the need for context-sensitive applications of the psychology of working theory, acknowledging the complex interplay of economic constraints, access to decent work, and the fulfilment of psychological needs in the gig economy.

This paper examines employment and earnings trends before and after the pandemic, with a focus on rural areas, to assess the disruptions in these already struggling regions. Agriculture continues to be the safety net for most workers during crises. The increase in the rural workforce during and after the lockdown was primarily driven by women entering self-employment in agriculture. However, earnings for workers in this sector, particularly self-employed women, remain significantly low. This rise in the rural workforce does not reflect a positive trend for the rural economy but rather highlights economic distress and the precarious nature of rural employment. The increase in movement from casual workers to self-employed workers in agriculture sector also underlines a larger shift in dynamics in the rural areas, arguably exacerbated by the pandemic. Non-manufacturing sector, most importantly the construction sector, absorbed men in the post-pandemic situation, but the same shift is not observed among women.

Universal health coverage (UHC) requires not only insurance enrolment but also effective use of coverage. In Indonesia, despite near-universal enrolment in the National Health Insurance programme (Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional, JKN), many insured individuals do not use their insurance when seeking care. Evidence on the extent and determinants of this underutilisation remains limited. We analysed nationally representative data from the 2023 National Socioeconomic Survey (SUSENAS), including insured individuals who reported outpatient care in the past month or inpatient care in the past 12 months. Insurance underutilisation was defined as the non-use of JKN during a healthcare encounter among those insured. Guided by Andersen’s Behavioral Model, we estimated random-effects logistic regression models for outpatient and inpatient care, incorporating individual, household, and district-level health system factors and accounting for clustering at the district level. Among insured individuals, 48.3% did not use JKN for outpatient care, compared with 11.0% for inpatient care. In adjusted models, outpatient non-use was higher among self-employed (aOR 1.43), casual (aOR 1.54), and unpaid family workers (aOR 1.42) than among those not working, and increased with income (highest vs. lowest quartile: aOR 1.34). Rural residents were more likely to underutilise outpatient insurance (aOR 1.47), while higher education was protective (university vs. elementary: aOR 0.77). Greater hospital (aOR 0.28) and primary care density (aOR 0.86) reduced outpatient non-use. For inpatient care, non-use remained associated with self-employment (aOR 1.29), high income (aOR 1.56), rural residence (aOR 1.25), and lower hospital density (aOR 0.21). Between-district differences explained 21% of outpatient and 14% of inpatient variation. Substantial inequities persist in the effective use of JKN, particularly for outpatient care. Addressing labour-market constraints, opportunity costs, administrative barriers, and local service capacity is essential to translate coverage into equitable access.

We identify key challenges and develop policy proposals for the UK private pension system, which is increasingly reliant on defined contribution plans. The key challenges are: a significant share of employees, and the vast majority of self-employed workers, are not saving in a private pension; even among savers, low contribution rates mean many are on track for inadequate retirement incomes; and people face complex decumulation decisions, where few take financial advice or buy annuities. We propose: increases in default contribution rates which rise faster as people earn more; a minimum employer pension contribution irrespective of whether employees contribute; facilitation of private pension saving for self-employed workers; and people should be guided towards partial annuitisation later in retirement to provide some longevity insurance.

Background: This study examined how type of work and working conditions (such as shift work and long working hours) are associated with subjective health components including health-maintenance behaviors, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and self-management strategies for maintaining health among Korean workers.Methods: A nationwide cross-sectional online survey was conducted in November 2021 among adults aged 20-64 years from 17 regions of the Republic of Korea (N = 3,900). Participants were categorized into unpaid family workers, irregular workers, self-employed workers, and permanent employee workers (n = 3,275). Paid workers were subcategorized into shift work (n = 574) and weekly working hours over 41 hours (n = 932). Among the subjective health components, HRQOL and self-management strategies for maintaining health were assessed using tools with proven validity and reliability. Descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed.Results: Adequate rest, as a health maintenance behavior, was determined to have a statistically significant association with type of work, shift work, and working hours. Shift work and working over 41 hours per week were positively associated with the use of preparation strategies, with adjusted odds ratios of 1.052 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.015-1.090] and 1.035 (95% CI: 1.005-1.067), respectively. Furthermore, shift work negatively correlated with HRQOL (aOR = 0.026, 95% CI: 0.009-0.070).Conclusion: Subjective health components were influenced by differences in type of work, and working conditions. Utilizing this information to develop indicators for worker health management within Korean medicine and integrative medicine may contribute to efficient health management of workers.

Drawing on a qualitative study conducted in the Netherlands, this article examines how solidarity is shaped in the hospitality sector, in which solo self-employed platform workers and employees work side by side. Our findings show that divergent identities and interests, reinforced by legal frameworks, may undermine solidarity both among self-employed platform workers and between them and regular employees, while also weakening trade union efforts to construct a shared identity along the traditional labour-capital divide. Competition further fragments platform workers and sharpens boundaries with employed staff in their daily interactions. This creates a central challenge for union strategies. Although unions in the Netherlands and elsewhere have successfully pursued lawsuits to have self-employed platform workers reclassified as employees, our study suggests that their organising strategies will fail to engage those who deliberately choose self-employment, without parallel legal reforms.

Covering self-employed workers in social insurance around the world: Reflections from a recent comparative study

This paper investigates the nature and structure of youth employment in rural Punjab. It is based on primary data collected through a survey of 550 rural youth respondents from three districts of Punjab. The study examines the employment status of rural youth by education level, age group, and geographical area. Youth respondents aged 15–29 years were selected using random sampling. The paper attempts to identify the nature of employment among rural youth, who are classified into three broad categories: salaried employees, casual workers, and self-employed workers. Percentage analysis is used to examine the distribution of employed youth across various activities such as agriculture, regular salaried jobs, casual work, and self-employment. The study also discusses the major problems faced by rural youth workers. The findings help identify gaps between educational attainment and employment outcomes, thereby informing policy interventions aimed at enhancing decent work opportunities for young people in rural areas. Moreover, the study’s primary data–based approach adds robustness to existing discussions on rural labor market dynamics and youth workforce participation.

Balancing professional obligations with personal life domains has emerged as a defining challenge for the modern workforce, with profound implications for individual wellness, organizational effectiveness, and broader societal outcomes. While extensive scholarship has examined work-life equilibrium among salaried employees, the experiences of self-employed workers remain substantially underexplored, particularly within developing nation contexts. This comparative empirical study examines differences in work-life balance between self-employed and traditionally employed workers in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. Through a cross-sectional survey methodology, primary data were obtained from 120 participants equally distributed between self-employed (n=60) and traditionally employed (n=60) categories via structured questionnaires. Statistical analysis employed descriptive techniques and chi-square independence tests to evaluate associations between employment classification and work-life balance parameters. Results demonstrate statistically significant disparities across eight distinct dimensions. Self-employed participants exhibit markedly superior schedule flexibility (66.70% very flexible versus 16.70%; χ²=30.49, p<0.001, Cramer's V=0.504) and substantially elevated work autonomy (75.00% high autonomy versus 25.00%; χ²=34.49, p<0.001, Cramer's V=0.536). Additionally, self-employed respondents demonstrate reduced work-life conflict incidence (16.70% frequent versus 41.70%; χ²=14.19, p=0.003), superior boundary management (58.30% clear boundaries versus 25.00%; χ²=16.29, p=0.001), diminished stress levels (25.00% high stress versus 50.00%; χ²=10.49, p=0.015), enhanced leisure time access (50.00% sufficient versus 25.00%), stronger perceived social support (66.70% strong versus 41.70%; χ²=12.19, p=0.016), and greater overall satisfaction (58.30% very satisfied versus 33.30%; χ²=10.29, p=0.036). Findings illuminate how employment structural characteristics fundamentally shape work-life balance attainment, with self-employment configurations offering autonomy and flexibility advantages conducive to equilibrium achievement. Implications span organizational policy formulation, entrepreneurship ecosystem development, and employment arrangement innovation. Keywords: Work-Life Equilibrium, Self-Employment Dynamics, Traditional Employment, Occupational Autonomy, Work-Family Conflict, Comparative Methodology, Chi-Square Analysis

ABSTRACT This article analyzes the Brazilian workers’ salary penalty due to informality. The quantile regressions, the Oaxaca-Blinder wage decomposition, and the propensity score matching (PSM) methodology were estimated using microdata from the Continuous National Household Sample Survey for 2016 and 2019. Evidence shows an increase in informality, a higher number of self-employed workers, and an overall wage reduction. Although there has also been a reduction in the number of informal working poor in the country, their lower wages compared to formal workers have been confirmed. The penalty of Informality is most severe for self-employed people. The level of penalty for informality is higher among poor workers, and wage punishment has increased in the period, which can generate a duration of household poverty.

Globally, cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs) are major health issues that affect the health of workforce. This study aimed to investigate the impact of employment status on transition from a healthy state to cardiometabolic multimorbidity in Chinese population. Data from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011-2020) was utilised. Analytical sample comprised 7,681 men and women (≥ 45 years) free of CMDs at baseline. A multistate model was applied to investigate the impact of baseline employment status on the transition rates from a healthy state to cardiometabolic mono-morbidity and subsequently to multimorbidity. Inverse probability weighting was applied to account for the complex survey design. During an average follow-up time of 5.7 years, 3,324 (43.28%) participants developed one or more CMDs. After adjusting for age and sex, compared to non-agricultural employees, non-agricultural retirees had significantly higher risks and agricultural self-employed workers had only marginally higher risk of CMDs. After further adjustment for sociodemographic factors, health behaviours, and BMI, non-agricultural retirees remained significantly associated with a higher rate of transition from a healthy state to cardiometabolic mono-morbidity [HR 1.24 (95% CI 1.01-1.54)] compared to non-agricultural employees. There was no statistically significant increase in transition to multimorbidity risk in any group. Control of CMDs in Chinese older population should consider people's employment characteristics.

Purpose This paper examines how oil supply shocks and monetary policy actions jointly affect wage inequality in the US, with a particular focus on the role of education. The study addresses three key questions: (1) how exogenous oil supply shocks influence wage inequality, (2) how exogenous monetary policy shocks shape income distribution, and (3) whether these effects differ within and between education groups, revealing the role of human capital in amplifying or mitigating inequality. Design/methodology/approach The analysis uses quarterly US data from 2000 to 2021. Wage inequality is measured using the Theil index constructed from CPS/BLS weekly earnings of full-time workers aged 25 and above, allowing additive decomposition into within- and between-education components (high school, bachelor's and advanced degree). Identification relies on exogenous oil supply news shocks and exogenous monetary policy shocks. A vector autoregression (VAR) framework is estimated, and impulse response functions trace the dynamic effects of both shocks on inequality over a 10-quarter horizon. Findings The results show that overall wage inequality increased by about 15% over the sample period, with roughly 75% driven by within-education dispersion rather than differences across education levels. Oil supply shocks significantly raise wage inequality, increasing dispersion within high-school and advanced-degree groups and widening inequality between education groups. In contrast, contractionary monetary policy shocks compress wage inequality, with the strongest effects observed among advanced-degree earners and a reduction in between-education wage gaps. Research limitations/implications This study focuses exclusively on the US due to data availability at a quarterly frequency, which limits the generalizability of the findings to other economies with different labor market institutions and energy dependence. Wage inequality is measured using CPS/BLS data for full-time workers, excluding self-employed and part-time workers, who may experience different distributional effects. The analysis is confined to education-based groupings and does not account for other dimensions of inequality, such as race, gender or industry. Finally, while exogenous shock measures are used, the VAR framework captures average dynamic responses and may not fully reflect nonlinearities or structural changes across different economic regimes. Practical implications The findings show that macroeconomic policies have important distributional effects. Oil supply shocks significantly increase wage inequality, especially within high-school and advanced-degree groups, implying that energy price volatility can worsen income dispersion. Policies that reduce exposure to oil shocks—such as energy diversification and strategic reserves—may therefore also help limit inequality. Monetary policy, while aimed at stabilizing inflation and output, affects income distribution as well: contractionary shocks compress wage inequality, particularly among highly educated workers. Since most inequality arises within education groups, education alone is insufficient; complementary labor market and earnings-stabilization policies are needed to mitigate the unequal effects of macroeconomic shocks. Originality/value This study is among the first to jointly analyze oil supply shocks and monetary policy shocks using exogenous identification while decomposing wage inequality by education. By highlighting heterogeneous distributional responses across education groups, the paper provides new insights into how energy shocks and stabilization policies interact with human capital to shape income inequality.

A substantial share of workers are self-employed, but there is a dearth of data on heterogeneity in these work arrangements. To address this gap, the authors identify the variety of self-employment work arrangements in novel data produced using machine learning, leveraging 2003–2019 Panel Study of Income Dynamics respondents’ narrative descriptions of their industry, type of work, and employer names. The authors examine trends in the prevalence and nature of these forms of self-employment, transitions across them, and who works in them. Findings show disparate trends in the prevalence of different work arrangements and in transitions across work arrangements that would otherwise be masked. Further results suggest that the informally self-employed are less likely to have business assets, engage in more routine and less abstract skills on their jobs, are less educated, are less likely to be male and non-Hispanic White, have less labor income, and have worse well-being.

BackgroundNight shift work may increase the risk of various diseases, this study aims to explore the associations of both past and current night shift rotations with osteoporosis and its related fracture risks, and to evaluate the role of potential mediators further in the UK biobank.MethodsWe investigated 276,774 UK Biobank participants with current paid employment or self-employed work, alongside 75,120 individuals with lifetime occupational history information. The multivariable-adjusted logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard models were utilized to analyze the potential links between night shift work and the incidence of OP. Moreover, stratified analyses and interaction tests were applied to explore potential modifications.ResultsA total of 276,774 participants aged 40 to 69 years (mean ± SD: 52.7 ± 7.1); among them, 143,081 women (51.7%); 260,994 White participants (94.3%) were included, and a total of 5,906 OP events were documented. Relative to “day workers,” all subgroups engaged in night shifts displayed a notable increase in OP prevalence (P for trend < 0.001). The usual night shifts with the highest risk [hazard ratio (HR) 1.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.12–1.50]. Besides, the results of lifetime night shift schedules showed the highest OP risk participants with duration >10 years [OR 1.21, 95% CI (0.92–1.58)] and 3–8 shifts/month [OR 1.38, 95% CI (1.11–1.72)] exposure. In addition, these positive associations remained unaltered by sensitivity and stratified analyses with various confounders and genetic vulnerability (all P for interaction > 0.05). Furthermore, we observed a positive association between night shifts and OP-related pathological fractures [HR 1.88, 95% CI (1.20–3.94)].ConclusionThis study demonstrated that both current and lifetime night shifts was significant associated with the greater risk of OP and its related pathological fracture. Additionally, these associations were not modified by genetic susceptibility. The potential of reducing night shift work as a strategy for preventing osteoporosis requires further investigation.

Unconditional cash transfer (UCT) schemes have been launched by various state governments but their impact on women’s empowerment is vigorously debated. In this article, the cash transfer amount is assessed as a proportion of earnings of female workers and as a proportion of monthly per capita expenditure. We find that CTs constitute a significant proportion of monthly earnings of female self-employed workers as well as casual workers. CTs also account for a significant proportion of spending by bottom 50% of the population across states. Hence, CTs have a significant impact on income poverty for poor women in the short run. However, as a standalone measure CTs impact on empowerment of women is uncertain. While CTs may strengthen women’s bargaining power at the workplace but they may also reduce her participation in paid work. At the same time, CTs do not address the factors that impact women’s empowerment such as gendered division of work, high burden of unpaid domestic and care work, and prevalent social norms and institutions.

How Do Workers Think About The Costs and Benefits of Freelance Work? New Evidence From a Survey Experiment