Precarious employment and health: workers' perceptions of precarious employment and the construction of a measuring instrument for Flanders.

English title Precarious employment and health: workers' perceptions of precarious employment and the construction of a measuring instrument for Flanders.

Increasingly, the "standard employment contract" becomes subjected to a process of

"precarisation", resulting in more non-standard and flexible forms of employment.

Epidemiological evidence shows psychological and physical health complaints to be related with manifestations of such "employment precariousness". Certainly, given the high and rising rates of occupational disability due to psychological disorders, the health consequences of employment conditions deserve more research attention. An interesting approach uses the multidimensional concept of employment precariousness. This multidimensional way of looking has been turned into a measurement instrument (EPRES) by the EMCONET research network. A first objective of this study is to adapt this instrument to the context of workers in

Flanders. For that end the specific manifestations of the dimensions of employment

precariousness will be studied through qualitative research, including expert interviews and interviews with precarious workers. Afterwards, based on the qualitative results, an adapted instrument will be tested in a pilot survey. The second objective of the same qualitative study is to acquire more insight in how workers perceive the pathways by which precarious employment relates to their physical and mental well-being.