Covid death rates twice as high in zero-hours and casual jobs, study suggests

Coronavirus death rates are twice as high in insecure jobs as in other professions, new research suggests.

The TUC said workers on a contract that does not guarantee regular hours or income, such as zero-hours contracts or casual work, and those in low-paid self-employment, have been more at risk of infection.

It’s thought that key workers such as those in social care and delivery driving, which cannot be done from home and require people to come into contact with others, are more insecure.

The COVID-19 mortality rate among men in insecure occupations was 51 per 100,000 people aged 20-64, compared with 24 per 100,000 in more secure work, said the union organisation.

The mortality rate among women in insecure jobs was 25 per 100,000 people, compared with 13 per 100,000 in more secure occupations.

The TUC, which called the figures stark, said more research was needed to understand the links between precarious work and risk of infection and death.

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Source: The Independent, 16 April 2021