Situational diagnosis of job precariousness among nurses in two public institutions in Mexico City: a view from occupational health

Abstract

Introduction.- Research on precariousness in the world of work is a long-standing topic that describes major transformations introduced by the pattern of wealth accumulation known as Toyota-flexibility of intensified production. In Mexico, employer management of the workforce in the health sector tends to reinforce flexible hiring schemes, unfolding the precarious dimensions of nurses' work. The premise of the study maintains that the increase in precariousness has modified the environment of labor relations of the two public institutions studied. Objective.- Prepare a situational diagnosis of the job insecurity of nurses in two public institutions in Mexico City, from the perspective of occupational health. Methods.- Type of study: mixed, sequential. Design: transversal, interpretive. Population: nurses from two public institutions in Mexico City. Selection criteria: quantitative phase, for convenience through 132 participants who answered the same number of questionnaires; qualitative phase, through key informants. Results.- From the SIARHE platform: the workforce of the study population is 10,369 nurses assigned to two public institutions. From the CTESLAC questionnaire: 132 participants, 80% women, 25% aged 41 to 50 years, 38% do not have social security, 53% without a basic appointment, 20% have an auxiliary code and 44% are nursing technicians, 40% rate their health status as fair to very poor. From the informants interviewed: the significant segments refer to employment conditions, work environment, salaries, rights, social security and mental health. Conclusions.- The study coincides with empirical findings carried out by other research on job insecurity and identifies employment policies in the sector that fragment the group of nurses. The diagnosis highlights that there is a growing deterioration in working conditions with harmful effects on job stability, mental health and work, as well as the need to deepen this line of research.