Precarious employment and occupational injuries in Sweden between 2006 and 2014: a register-based study.

BACKGROUND: Precarious employment (PE) has been suggested as a risk factor for occupational injuries (OIs). However, several issues such as under-reporting and time at risk pose obstacles to obtaining unbiased estimates of risk OBJECTIVE: To investigate if PE is a risk factor for OIs in Sweden. METHODS: This register-based study included employed workers aged 18-65, resident in Sweden between 2006 and 2014. PE was operationalised as a multidimensional construct (score) and by its five items (contract insecurity, contractual temporariness, multiple jobs/multiple sectors, income level, collective bargaining agreement). Our outcome was OI in the following year. Pooled ORs for OIs in relation to PE and PE items were calculated by means of multivariate logistic regression models for women and men separately. RESULTS: Precarious workers were at lower risk of OIs as compared with non-precarious workers among both males and females (OR <1) also when applying weights for under-reporting and adjusting for time at risk (part-time work). Male agencies workers had a higher risk of OIs (OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.23), as did male and female workers in multiple jobs/sectors (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.23 to 1.28 and OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.13 respectively), and female workers in the low-income groups (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.12). Low coverage of collective bargaining agreements was associated with a lower risk of OIs for both men and women (OR 0.30, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.31 and OR 0.26, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.27, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: While several mechanisms may explain why precarious workers in Sweden present lower risks of OIs, several dimensions of PE such as temp agency work and multiple job-holding could be important risk factors for OIs and merit further research.

Organisational factors and under-reporting of occupational injuries in Sweden: a population-based study using capture-recapture methodology.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the magnitude of under-reporting of non-fatal occupational injuries (OIs) by different organisational factors in Sweden for the year 2013. METHODS: Capture-recapture methods were applied using two data sources: (1) the national OI register and (2) records from a labour market insurance company. To assure comparability of data sources, the analysis was restricted to the public sector and private companies with at least 50 employees. OIs were matched using personal identification number and reported injury dates (±7 days). Organisational factors were obtained from the national labour market register and injury severity (no healthcare/only outpatient/hospitalised) from the National Patient Register. Total number of OIs and ascertainment by data sources were estimated assuming data source independence. RESULTS: There were an estimated 98 493 OIs in 2013. Completeness of reporting OIs to the national register and to the insurance company was estimated at 73% and 43%, respectively. No report to either source was estimated at 15 000 OIs (~15%). Under-reporting to the national register differed by selected organisational factors, being higher among organisations in the public sector, those with more females, with a younger workforce and with a higher proportion of immigrants. Overall under-reporting was more common in agriculture (19.7%), other services (19.3%), commerce and hospitality (19.1%), health (18.4%) and education (18.4%). Under-reporting decreased as injury severity increased, with little variations across sectors of economic activity. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest considerable under-reporting of OIs in Sweden and differential under-reporting by organisational factors. Results are relevant for official estimates of burden and for setting priorities for workplace safety and prevention.

Precarious employment and general, mental and physical health in Stockholm, Sweden: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: To investigate the association between precarious employment and health in a sample of non-standard employees in Stockholm County, Sweden, by addressing three specific research questions: is the degree of precarious employment (low, moderate, high) associated with self-rated. . . (a) general health, (b) mental health, (c) musculoskeletal pain? Methods: Web-based respondent-driven sampling was used to recruit a sample of 415 employees in Stockholm, Sweden, during 2016-2017. Questionnaire data were collected on employment conditions (the Swedish version of the employment precariousness scale (EPRES-Se)), general health, mental health and musculoskeletal pain. EPRES-Se scores were categorised as low, moderate or high. Generalised linear models with Poisson distribution, log link functions and robust variances were applied for calculating crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (PR; aPR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for all outcomes. Results: The prevalence ratios of poor self-rated general and mental health increased with increased degree of precariousness, as indicated by estimates of moderate precarious employment (a2PRModerate 1.44 (CI 0.98-2.11); a2PRModerate 1.13 (CI 0.82-1.62)), and high precarious employment (a2PRHigh 1.78 (CI 1.21-2.62); a2PRHigh 1.69 (CI 1.25-2.28)), albeit only significantly so for high precarious employment. Conclusions: This is the first study in Sweden reporting on the association between precarious employment, as measured with a multidimensional scale, and multiple health outcomes. The results add to the evidence of an association between precarious employment and self-rated poor general and mental health. Larger, representative studies with longitudinal designs using the EPRES-Se are called for in order to strengthen these results and the already existing evidence of the harm of precarious employment.

The role of managerial leadership in sickness absence in health and social care: antecedent or moderator in the association between psychosocial working conditions and register-based sickness absence? A longitudinal study based on a swedish cohort.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of sickness absence is particularly high among employees in health and social care, where psychosocial work stressors are pertinent. Managerial leadership is known to affect sickness absence rates, but the role leadership plays in relation to sickness absence is not fully understood; that is, whether poor leadership (i) is associated with sickness absence directly, (ii) is associated with sickness absence indirectly through the establishment of poor psychosocial working conditions, or (iii) whether good leadership rather has a buffering role in the association between work stressors and sickness absence. METHODS: Four biennial waves from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH, 2010-2016, N=2333) were used. Autoregressive cross-lagged analyses within a multilevel structural equation modelling (MSEM) framework were conducted to test hypotheses i)-iii), targeting managerial leadership, register-based sickness absence and psychosocial work stressors (high psychological demands, poor decision authority and exposure to workplace violence). RESULTS: A direct association was found between poor leadership and sickness absence two years later, but no associations were found between leadership and the psychosocial work stressors. Finally, only in cases of poor leadership was there a statistically significant association between workplace violence and sickness absence. CONCLUSIONS: Poor managerial leadership may increase the risk of sickness absence among health and social care workers in two ways: first, directly and, second, by increasing the link between workplace violence and sickness absence.

Study protocol of a co-created primary organizational-level intervention with the aim to improve organizational and social working conditions and decrease stress within the construction industry - a controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Within construction industry, physical work exposures have long been recognized as possible determinants for musculoskeletal disorders, but less attention has been given the increasing organizational and social work hazards and stress within this industry. There is to date a lack of knowledge about how to improve organizational and social working conditions and decrease stress within the construction industry. METHODS: This paper outlines the design of a controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a co-created organizational-level intervention with the aim to improve role clarity, quantitative demands, staffing, planning, team effectiveness, psychosocial safety climate and stress. Two regions (> 700 employees) within one large construction company in Sweden will participate as intervention and control group. Further we present the design of the process evaluation assessing fidelity, support from managers, readiness for change and contextual factors. We will utilize questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, observations and documentation as means for data collection, hence a mixed methods approach is applied. DISCUSSION: The study is expected to contribute to the understanding of how adverse organizational and social working conditions and stress can be improved within the construction industry. By applying co-creation we wish to develop an intervention and implementation strategies that fit to the context, are in line with the needs of end-users and are supported by all management levels - all of which are highlighted features in successful workplace interventions. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN, ISRCTN16548039. Registered 12/02/20. Retrospectively registered.

Development of job demands, decision authority and social support in industries with different gender composition - Sweden, 1991-2013.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to explore the development of job demands, decision authority and social support within and between industries with different gender composition in Sweden between 1991 and 2013. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from 12 waves of the Swedish Work Environment Surveys (1991 to 2013), comprising in total 109,698 respondents, were used. Industries were classified in 7 categories according to its gender composition and main activity, comprising two female-dominated, three gender-mixed and two male-dominated industries. Proportions of workers reporting high job demands, low decision authority and poor social support between 1991 and 2013 were calculated. Logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate variation across time, using 1991 as the reference category, and between industries, using knowledge intensive services as the reference category. Estimates for high job demands, low decision authority and poor social support were presented as average marginal effects (AMEs). RESULTS: The probabilities of reporting low decision authority were higher in education and health and social care during the whole study period, for both genders, compared with the reference category of knowledge intensive services. The probability of having high job demands were higher for men and women in education, and women in health and social care, compared with the reference category. Men in the male dominated industries had increased job demands over time, compared to the beginning of the study period (1991). The probability of reporting poor social support was higher in the later than in the earliest time period for women in the female-dominated industry health and social care as well as in the gender-mixed labour intensive services industry. CONCLUSIONS: There has been a negative development of job demands and decision authority in the female-dominated industries education and health and social care in Sweden, whereas social support has developed more negatively for women in health and social care and in labour intensive services.

Tecemotide (L-BLP25) versus placebo after chemoradiotherapy for stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (START): a randomised, double-blind, phase 3 trial.

BACKGROUND: Effective maintenance therapies after chemoradiotherapy for lung cancer are lacking. Our aim was to investigate whether the MUC1 antigen-specific cancer immunotherapy tecemotide improves survival in patients with stage III unresectable non-small-cell lung cancer when given as maintenance therapy after chemoradiation. METHODS: The phase 3 START trial was an international, randomised, double-blind trial that recruited patients with unresectable stage III non-small-cell lung cancer who had completed chemoradiotherapy within the 4-12 week window before randomisation and received confirmation of stable disease or objective response. Patients were stratified by stage (IIIA vs IIIB), response to chemoradiotherapy (stable disease vs objective response), delivery of chemoradiotherapy (concurrent vs sequential), and region using block randomisation, and were randomly assigned (2:1, double-blind) by a central interactive voice randomisation system to either tecemotide or placebo. Injections of tecemotide (806 µg lipopeptide) or placebo were given every week for 8 weeks, and then every 6 weeks until disease progression or withdrawal. Cyclophosphamide 300 mg/m(2) (before tecemotide) or saline (before placebo) was given once before the first study drug administration. The primary endpoint was overall survival in a modified intention-to-treat population. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00409188. FINDINGS: From Feb 22, 2007, to Nov 15, 2011, 1513 patients were randomly assigned (1006 to tecemotide and 507 to placebo). 274 patients were excluded from the primary analysis population as a result of a clinical hold, resulting in analysis of 829 patients in the tecemotide group and 410 in the placebo group in the modified intention-to-treat population. Median overall survival was 25.6 months (95% CI 22.5-29.2) with tecemotide versus 22.3 months (19.6-25.5) with placebo (adjusted HR 0.88, 0.75-1.03; p=0.123). In the patients who received previous concurrent chemoradiotherapy, median overall survival for the 538 (65%) of 829 patients assigned to tecemotide was 30.8 months (95% CI 25.6-36.8) compared with 20.6 months (17.4-23.9) for the 268 (65%) of 410 patients assigned to placebo (adjusted HR 0.78, 0.64-0.95; p=0.016). In patients who received previous sequential chemoradiotherapy, overall survival did not differ between the 291 (35%) patients in the tecemotide group and the 142 (35%) patients in the placebo group (19.4 months [95% CI 17.6-23.1] vs 24.6 months [18.8-33.0], respectively; adjusted HR 1.12, 0.87-1.44; p=0.38). Grade 3-4 adverse events seen with a greater than 2% frequency with tecemotide were dyspnoea (49 [5%] of 1024 patients in the tecemotide group vs 21 [4%] of 477 patients in the placebo group), metastases to central nervous system (29 [3%] vs 6 [1%]), and pneumonia (23 [2%] vs 12 [3%]). Serious adverse events with a greater than 2% frequency with tecemotide were pneumonia (30 [3%] in the tecemotide group vs 14 [3%] in the placebo group), dyspnoea (29 [3%] vs 13 [3%]), and metastases to central nervous system (32 [3%] vs 9 [2%]). Serious immune-related adverse events did not differ between groups. INTERPRETATION: We found no significant difference in overall survival with the administration of tecemotide after chemoradiotherapy compared with placebo for all patients with unresectable stage III non-small-cell lung cancer. However, tecemotide might have a role for patients who initially receive concurrent chemoradiotherapy, and further study in this population is warranted. FUNDING: Merck KGaA (Darmstadt, Germany).

Sick leave and the impact of job-to-job mobility on the likelihood of remaining on the labour market--a longitudinal Swedish register study.

BACKGROUND: Change of job could be a strategy in vocational rehabilitation when return to the original job is not possible, but research is very limited concerning the effects of job mobility on the future vocational situation. The aim of the study was to investigate whether job-to-job mobility affects the likelihood of remaining on the labour market over time among persons who are employed and have experienced long-term sick leave. METHODS: In a longitudinal register study, cohorts from three base years (1994, 1999 and 2004) were created, based on the Swedish population who were 20-60 years old, had sickness allowance insurance, and were employed in the base year and the following year (n>3,000,000). The likelihood that individuals on long-term sick leave were employed later depending on whether or not they changed workplace during the present or next year of long-term sick leave was analyzed using logistic regression analysis. Age, sector, industry, children, marital status, education, income, rate of sick leave and earlier sick leave and earlier mobility were taken into consideration. RESULTS: Women with more than 180 days' sick leave who changed workplaces were more likely to have a job later compared with those who did not change jobs. For men, the association was statistically significant with 1994 and 2004 as base years, but not in the cohort from 1999. CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicates that for those on long-term sick leave that changed workplaces, the opportunities to stay on the labour market might increase. However, the study has methodological limitations and the results for men are ambiguous. We do not therefore have enough evidence for recommending job change as a strategy for vocational rehabilitation.

Asthma Is Associated With Increased Sickness Absence Among Young Adults.

BACKGROUND: There is limited knowledge about how asthma affects sickness absence in young adulthood. OBJECTIVE: To examine how asthma and different asthma phenotypes affect sickness absence among young adults and potential modifying factors. A secondary aim was to estimate productivity losses related to sickness absence for asthma. METHODS: The study included 2391 participants from the Swedish population-based cohort BAMSE (Barn/Child, Allergy, Milieu, Stockholm, Epidemiology). Information on asthma, asthma phenotypes, and lifestyle factors was collected from questionnaires and clinical examinations at age approximately 24 years (2016-2019). Information on sickness absence for longer than 14 days was obtained from a national register for the years 2020 and 2021. Associations between asthma, asthma phenotypes, and sickness absence were analyzed with logistic regression models adjusted for sex, birth year, education, and overweight status. RESULTS: At age 24 years, 272 (11.4%) fulfilled the definition of asthma. Sickness absence was more common among those with asthma than among those without (15.1% vs 8.7%; P = .001; adjusted odds ratio 1.73; 95% CI, 1.19-2.51). Analyses of asthma phenotypes showed that the association tended to be stronger for persistent asthma, uncontrolled asthma, and asthma in combination with rhinitis; no consistent differences were observed across phenotypes related to allergic sensitization or inflammation. The association tended to be stronger among those with overweight than among those with normal weight. Asthma, especially uncontrolled asthma, was associated with higher productivity losses from sickness absence. CONCLUSIONS: Asthma may be associated with higher sickness absence and productivity losses. Achieving better asthma control and reducing allergic symptoms may reduce sickness absence among individuals with asthma.

Effects of neck-specific exercise with or without a behavioural approach in addition to prescribed physical activity for individuals with chronic whiplash-associated disorders: a prospective randomised study.

BACKGROUND: Up to 50% of chronic whiplash associated disorders (WAD) patients experience considerable pain and disability and remain on sick-leave. No evidence supports the use of physiotherapy treatment of chronic WAD, although exercise is recommended. Previous randomised controlled studies did not evaluate the value of adding a behavioural therapy intervention to neck-specific exercises, nor did they compare these treatments to prescription of general physical activity. Few exercise studies focus on patients with chronic WAD, and few have looked at patients' ability to return to work and the cost-effectiveness of treatments. Thus, there is a great need to develop successful evidence-based rehabilitation models. The study aim is to investigate whether neck-specific exercise with or without a behavioural approach (facilitated by a single caregiver per patient) improves functioning compared to prescription of general physical activity for individuals with chronic WAD. METHODS/DESIGN: The study is a prospective, randomised, controlled, multi-centre study with a 2-year follow-up that includes 216 patients with chronic WAD (> 6 months and < 3 years). The patients (aged 18 to 63) must be classified as WAD grade 2 or 3. Eligibility will be determined with a questionnaire, telephone interview and clinical examination. The participants will be randomised into one of three treatments: (A) neck-specific exercise followed by prescription of physical activity; (B) neck-specific exercise with a behavioural approach followed by prescription of physical activity; or (C) prescription of physical activity alone without neck-specific exercises. Treatments will be performed for 3 months. We will examine physical and psychological function, pain intensity, health care consumption, the ability to resume work and economic health benefits. An independent, blinded investigator will perform the measurements at baseline and 3, 6, 12 and 24 months after inclusion. The main study outcome will be improvement in neck-specific disability as measured with the Neck Disability Index. All treatments will be recorded in treatment diaries and medical records. DISCUSSION: The study findings will help improve the treatment of patients with chronic WAD. TRIALS REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01528579.

Radiotherapy-Dose Escalated for Large Volume Primary Tumors-And Cetuximab with or without Induction Chemotherapy for HPV Associated Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck-A Randomized Phase II Trial.

The leading cause of death for patients with HPV associated squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) after treatment with chemoradiotherapy (CRT) nowadays is peripheral metastasis. This study investigated whether induction chemotherapy (IC) could improve progression free survival (PFS) and impact on relapse pattern after CRT. METHODS: Eligible patients in this multicenter, randomized, controlled, phase 2 trial had p16-positive locoregionally advanced SCCHN. Patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either RT with cetuximab (arm B) versus the same regimen preceded by two cycles of taxotere/cisplatin/5-FU (arm A). The RT dose was escalated to 74.8 Gy for large volume primary tumors. Eligibility criteria included patients of 18-75 years, an ECOG performance status 0-1, and adequate organ functions. RESULTS: From January 2011 to February 2016, 152 patients, all with oropharyngeal tumors were enrolled, 77 in arm A and 75 in arm B. Two patients, one in each group, withdrew their consent after randomization, leaving 150 patients for the ITT analysis. PFS at 2 years was 84.2% (95% CI 76.4-92.8) in arm A and 78.4% (95% CI 69.5-88.3) in arm B (HR 1.39, 95% CI 0.69-2.79, p = 0.40). At the time of analysis, there were 26 disease failures, 9 in arm A and 17 in arm B. In arm A, 3 patients had local, 2 regional, and 4 distant relapses as first sites of recurrence, and in arm B, 4, 4, and 9 relapses in corresponding sites. Eight out of 26 patients with disease progression had salvage therapy and 7 were alive NED (no evidence of disease), at 2 years. Locoregional control was 96% in arm A and 97.3% in arm B and OS 93% and 90.5%, respectively. Local failure as first site of recurrence was low, in 4.6% of patients and was similar for T1/T2 and T3/T4 tumors (n.s). Nevertheless, out of 7 patients with primary local failures, 4 were treated with the escalated RT dose. Toxicity was low and similar in the treatment arms. There was one fatal event in arm A where the combined effects of the drugs used in chemotherapy and cetuximab could not be ruled out. CONCLUSIONS: PFS, locoregional control and toxicity did not differ between the two arms, OS was high, and there were few local relapses. In arm B, more than twice as many patients had distant metastasis as the first site of relapse compared to arm A. The response to IC was found to define 29% of patients in arm A who did not have a tumor relapse during follow-up. An escalated dose of 74.8 Gy could mitigate the negative impact of large tumor volume but for some patients, even this intensified treatment was insufficient.

How the Shift Toward Working From Home Has Impacted People's Work and Private Life.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to describe the effect of working from home on work conditions and private life by analyzing reported changes in different work-related factors. METHODS: We used descriptive analyses on cross-sectional data of 4985 people aged 20 to 67 years from Stockholm, Sweden collected in 2021. The prevalence of reported changes for factors related to work and private life was analyzed by degree of work from home and stratified by age, sex, and educational level. RESULTS: Participants who worked from home reported increased opportunities to structure the workday and combine work and private life, while at the same time experiencing increased isolation from the workplace. More females reported increased workload, whereas younger adults reported more changes overall. CONCLUSIONS: Working from home was related to experiencing both positive and negative changes in work conditions and private life.

Relation between occupation, gender dominance in the occupation and workplace and suicide in Sweden: a longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the association between occupations and suicide, and to explore the effect of gender dominance in the occupation and in the workplace on the risk of suicide. DESIGN: Register-based cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: 3 318 050 workers in Sweden in 2005 and followed up until 2010. Exclusion criteria for the study were: missing information in the occupational codes, yearly income of <100 Swedish krona, missing information of the employer, death or migration, and registered occupational code reported from more than 5 years ago. OUTCOME: Suicides occurring during 2006-2010 identified in the cause of death register by the International Classification of Diagnoses-10 codes X60-84 and Y10-34. RESULTS: Occupations with increased suicide were life science and health professionals (OR: 2.8, 95% CI: 1.50 to 5.26) among women. In men, these were metal, machinery and related workers (OR: 1.5, 95% CI: 1.09 to 2.05) and personal and protective service workers (OR: 1.59, 95% CI: 1.14 to 2.22). In terms of gender dominance in the occupation, borderline associations with increased suicide risk were found for men in both male-dominated (OR: 1.32, 95% CI: 0.98 to 1.79) and female-dominated (OR: 1.37, 95% CI: 0.99 to 1.91) occupations. For women, borderline increased risk of suicide was found in female-dominated occupations (OR: 1.51, 95% CI: 0.95 to 2.40). Finally, men showed a borderline increased risk of suicide in female-dominated workplaces (OR: 1.31, 95% CI: 0.94 to 1.81). CONCLUSIONS: This study found that women in the 'life science and health professionals' group and men in the 'metal, machinery and related workers' as well as 'personal and protective service workers' groups have increased incidence of suicide also when adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, precariousness of the employment relationship, spells of unemployment, previous mental disorders and suicide attempts. Moreover, gender dominance at workplace and occupation seems to be associated with the risk of suicide among men. The results of our study are novel and are worth exploring in future qualitative studies.

Effects of a co-created occupational health intervention on stress and psychosocial working conditions within the construction industry: A controlled trial.

Background: Work-related stress problems, i.e., burnout, depression, and anxiety, is a rising global health challenge. Poor mental health also appears to be a challenge for the construction industry, even though the occupational health focus has traditionally been on the physical work environment and musculoskeletal disorders. Yet, studies targeting the organisational level (i.e., work environment, policy) to enhance mental health within the construction industry are scant. Therefore, our first objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of a co-created occupational health intervention on stress and psychosocial working conditions within the construction industry in Sweden. The second objective was to evaluate whether the intervention was implemented as intended, i.e., implementation fidelity. The trial is registered in the ISRCTN clinical trial registry (ISRCTN16548039, http://isrctn.com/). Methods: This is a controlled trial with one intervention and one matched control group. We co-created the program logic with stakeholders from the intervention group. The essence of the chosen intervention components, duties clarification, and structured roundmaking was enhanced planning and role clarification. We assessed adherence to the intervention and dose delivered (i.e., fidelity). We collected data on the outcomes (role clarity, team effectiveness, planning, staffing, quantitative demands, and the psychosocial safety climate) with online questionnaires at baseline, 12, and 24 months. Marginal means models adjusting for missing data patterns were applied to estimate potential differences in outcomes between groups over time. Results: Fidelity was considered reasonably high. Yet, we found no intervention effects on the primary outcome stress. All outcomes, except role clarity deteriorated during the trial in the intervention and control group. However, the results indicate a positive effect of the intervention components on professionals' role clarity. The pandemic appears to have negatively affected stress and psychosocial working conditions. Conclusion: The study's results suggest that co-creating occupational health interventions could be one solution for improved implementation fidelity. More studies are needed to evaluate these intervention components. Also, we recommend researchers of future intervention studies consider using missing not at random, sensitivity analysis.

Utilizing a Nordic Crosswalk for Occupational Coding in an Analysis on Occupation-Specific Prolonged Sickness Absence among 7 Million Employees in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

We identified occupations with a high incidence of prolonged sickness absence (SA) in Nordic employees and explored similarities and differences between the countries. Utilizing data from national registers on 25-59-year-old wage-earners from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, we estimated the gender- and occupation-specific age-adjusted cumulative incidence of SA due to any cause, musculoskeletal diseases and mental disorders. To increase the comparability of occupations between the countries, we developed a Nordic crosswalk for occupational codes. We ranked occupational groups with the incidence of SA being statistically significantly higher than the population average of the country in question and calculated excess fractions with the employee population being the reference group. We observed considerable occupational differences in SA within and between the countries. Few occupational groups had a high incidence in all countries, particularly for mental disorders among men. In each country, manual occupations typically had a high incidence of SA due to any cause and musculoskeletal diseases, while service occupations had a high incidence due to mental disorders. Preventive measures targeted at specific occupational groups have a high potential to reduce work disability, especially due to musculoskeletal diseases. Particularly groups with excess SA in all Nordic countries could be at focus.

Trends in Precarious Employment in Sweden 1992-2017: A Social Determinant of Health.

The aim of this study was to identify trends in precarious employment in the Swedish workforce from 1992 to 2017. This is a repeated cross-sectional study, analyzing the total working population aged 16-75 in Sweden at five-year intervals. We used version 2.0 of the Swedish Register-based Operationalization of Precarious Employment, covering the following dimensions: employment insecurity, income inadequacy, lack of rights and protection. The proportion in precarious employment increased from 9.7 to 12% between 1992 and 2017, a relative increase of 24%. The prevalence was higher among those of lower age, of low education, and immigrants. Differences between sexes converged, and there were slightly more precarious men than women in 2017. The relative increase was most pronounced among men, especially those with low educational attainment and of European origin. The increasing proportion of precarious employees is a clear challenge to the tripartite Nordic model, which requires sufficient trade-union bargaining power.

The Relation Between Precarious Employment Arrangements and Social Precarity: Findings from the PREMIS Study in Stockholm, Sweden.

Precarious employment (PE) is a well-known social determinant of health and health inequalities. However, as most previous studies have focused on physical and mental well-being, less is known about the social-related outcomes (ie, social precarity) associated with precarious arrangements. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate whether PE is associated with social precarity in a working population of 401 nonstandard employed workers in Stockholm, Sweden (2016-2017). PE was assessed with the Swedish version of the Employment Precarious Scale (EPRES-Se) and analyzed in relation to social precarity related to working life (eg, task quality and job security) and living conditions (eg, restraint in social activities and financial constraints). We found positive adjusted associations between quartiles of EPRES-Se and social precarity related to working life (eg, being locked in an occupation [aPRq4:1.33 [1.10-1.61]]) and living conditions (eg, inability to participate in social activities because of work [aPRq4:1.27 [1.10-1.46]]). Our findings suggest that individuals in PE experience social precarity, stressing that PE may have negative effects on well-being. Further studies using multidimensional constructs of PE and larger samples should analyze these findings according to social and policy contexts in order to be able to inform policymakers.

Work-related psychosocial events as triggers of sick leave--results from a Swedish case-crossover study.

BACKGROUND: Although illness is an important cause of sick leave, it has also been suggested that non-medical risk factors may influence this association. If such factors impact on the period of decision making, they should be considered as triggers. Yet, there is no empirical support available.The aim was to investigate whether recent exposure to work-related psychosocial events can trigger the decision to report sick when ill. METHODS: A case-crossover design was applied to 546 sick-leave spells, extracted from a Swedish cohort of 1430 employees with a 3-12 month follow-up of new sick-leave spells. Exposure in a case period corresponding to an induction period of one or two days was compared with exposure during control periods sampled from workdays during a two-week period prior to sick leave for the same individual. This was done according to the matched-pair interval and the usual frequency approaches. Results are presented as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: Most sick-leave spells happened in relation to acute, minor illnesses that substantially reduced work ability. The risk of taking sick leave was increased when individuals had recently been exposed to problems in their relationship with a superior (OR 3.63; CI 1.44-9.14) or colleagues (OR 4.68; CI 1.43-15.29). Individuals were also more inclined to report sick on days when they expected a very stressful work situation than on a day when they were not under such stress (OR 2.27; CI 1.40-3.70). CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to problems in workplace relationships or a stressful work situation seems to be able to trigger reporting sick. Psychosocial work-environmental factors appear to have a short-term effect on individuals when deciding to report sick.

Does Exposure to High Job Demands, Low Decision Authority, or Workplace Violence Mediate the Association between Employment in the Health and Social Care Industry and Register-Based Sickness Absence? A Longitudinal Study of a Swedish Cohort.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this paper was to investigate if job demands, decision authority, and workplace violence mediate the association between employment in the health and social care industry and register-based sickness absence. METHODS: Participants from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health who responded to questionnaires in 2006-2016 (n = 3951) were included. Multilevel autoregressive cross-lagged mediation models were fitted to the data. Employment in the health and social care industry at one time point was used as the predictor variable and register-based sickness absence >14 days as the outcome variable. Self-reported levels of job demands, decision authority, and exposure to workplace violence from the first time point were used as mediating variables. RESULTS: The direct path between employment in the health and social care industry and sickness absence >14 days was, while adjusting for the reverse path, 0.032, p = 0.002. The indirect effect mediated by low decision authority was 0.002, p = 0.006 and the one mediated by exposure to workplace violence was 0.008, p = 0.002. High job demands were not found to mediate the association. CONCLUSION: Workplace violence and low decision authority may, to a small extent, mediate the association between employment in the health and social care industry and sickness absence.