In light of the high percentage of nonstandard workers and the high suicide rates in South Korea since the 1997 economic crisis, we examined the association between nonstandard employment and suicidal ideation among South Korean employees.

We analyzed data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES) I, II, III and IV, conducted in 1998, 2001, 2005 and 2007-2009, respectively (13,632 waged workers aged 20-69 years). Employment status was categorized into standard and nonstandard (part-time, temporary and daily) employment. Prevalence ratios (PRs) for self-reported suicidal ideation were compared between nonstandard and standard workers according to each survey wave.

After adjusting for background variables, the risk for suicidal ideation was consistently higher among nonstandard workers in every survey wave. In women, the PRs for suicidal ideation of nonstandard workers compared with standard ones were 1.24~1.37 and all of them were statistically significant. In men, those PRs were 1.36~1.52 with (marginal) statistical significance except for the First KNHANES (1998). Because nonstandard employment is closely related to other factors of suicidal ideation, these estimates are unlikely to have been underestimated.

The findings suggest the impact of employment status on suicidal ideation and the need for further prospective investigation that lead to policies aimed at improving the problematic labor markets.