Youth employment precarity linked to later mental health differences in Australian cohort

Researchers used group-based trajectory modelling and adjusted regression analyses of nationally representative Australian HILDA panel data. The analytic sample included 498 people employed between ages 18 and 24, contributing 5,856 person-year observations. Perceived job security and job control were used to measure employment precarity; mental health was assessed at ages 25 and 35 with the five-item Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5). A youth advisory group contributed to the research.\n\nTwo employment trajectories were identified: persistent high precarity and low, decreasing precarity. Persistent high precarity was associated overall with poorer mental health at age 25, particularly among females. At age 35, patterns differed by sex and dimension: males in the persistently high job-insecurity trajectory had poorer mental health than females, while females with persistently low job control had poorer mental health.\n\nThe findings associate early employment conditions with mental health outcomes up to age 35, but do not establish causation. Precarity measures were based on subjective survey items, and the analysis was observational. The authors report funding from the BHP Foundation and the Australian Research Council; they state that funders had no role in the study and declare no competing interests.