The Nature of Employment in a High Socioeconomic Hardship Community Data From the Greater Lawndale Healthy Work Survey (November 2024)-The Nature of Employment in a High Socioeconomic Hardship Community Data From the Greater Lawndale Healthy Work Survey

The Nature of Employment in a High Socioeconomic Hardship Community Data From the Greater Lawndale Healthy Work Survey

Pdf Summary

The study titled "The Nature of Employment in a High Socioeconomic Hardship Community: Data From the Greater Lawndale Healthy Work Survey" investigated employment characteristics and their links to precarious work situations in two disadvantaged Chicago neighborhoods. Using a community-based approach, researchers surveyed 489 residents who perceived their work to be precarious. The results revealed that most participants were employed in unstable jobs, with those in the highest precarity category often being Latinx and born outside the U.S.<br /><br />Precarious employment includes nonstandard, unstable work relationships lacking power, rights, benefits, and advancement opportunities. Factors contributing to precarity include globalization, reduced unionization, and inadequate employer-worker contracts. The study found that precarious employment is a significant determinant of health inequalities, exacerbated by events like COVID-19 and migration.<br /><br />The project, focusing on neighborhoods with high socioeconomic hardship, South and North Lawndale, found that structural, social, political, and economic policies contribute to employment precarity. These areas have significant Latinx and Black populations with lower educational attainment and income compared to the broader Chicago workforce.<br /><br />The Greater Lawndale Healthy Work Project used a mixed-methods approach, including interviews and surveys, to assess occupational health needs in these communities. It aimed to inform community-based interventions for promoting healthy work environments.<br /><br />Findings highlighted high levels of job insecurity, lack of benefits, and hazardous working conditions associated with socioeconomic disadvantages. The project underscored the need for multi-level interventions and policies to address both the causes and consequences of precarious employment, particularly focusing on community health and equity. The study emphasizes the importance of understanding employment characteristics at a hyperlocal level to fully appreciate their potential impacts on community health and well-being.

Keywords

precarious employment

socioeconomic hardship

Greater Lawndale

community-based approach

health inequalities

Latinx population

occupational health

job insecurity

mixed-methods approach

community health