Multidimensional employment precariousness mediates the association between low educational attainment and poor subjective well-being: results from a nationwide cross-sectional study in South Korea

Objective This paper explored how multidimensional employment precariousness (MEP) mediates the relationship between educational attainment and subjective well-being. Methods A nationwide sample of 46 919 Korean workers participated in surveys between 2017 and 2020. Educational attainment was divided into four categories: elementary school, middle school, high school, and college. Subjective well-being was assessed using the 5-item World Health Organization Well-Being Index, and MEP was evaluated using a modified version of the Employment Precariousness Scale (ERPES-E), with scores ranging from 0 to 100 and higher scores indicating worse employment precariousness. A counterfactual-based logistic mediation analyses were used to estimation. Results The mean MEP score was 36.0 [standard deviation (SD) 12.1] for college education, 44.3 (SD 11.5) for high school, 49.5 (SD 10.1) for middle school, and 51.1 (SD 10.0) for elementary school. The prevalence of poor subjective well-being was 24.0% for college education, 31.3% for high school, 40.6% for middle school, and 44.8% for elementary school. Odds ratios (OR) for the total effect of education on the poor subjective well-being were 1.44 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.37–1.53] for high school, 2.19 (95% CI 1.98–2.24) for middle school, and 2.40 (95% CI 2.04–2.82) for elementary school when compared to college education. The OR for the indirect effect mediated through MEP were 1.27 (95% CI 1.25–1.29) for high school, 1.46 (95% CI 1.42–1.51) for middle school, and 1.53 (95% CI 1.48–1.59) for elementary school, accounting for 63.9%, 48.5%, and 48.6% of the total effect, respectively. Conclusion Our study suggests that MEP is an important contributor to the disparities in subjective well-being resulting from educational gradients.