Disability prevalence and social insurance program participation among workers in selected nonstandard work arrangements

In this article, we examine the relationship between subsets of nonstandard forms of employment and worker disability status. We find that, within the labor force, workers in selected nonstandard work arrangements have higher rates of disability, particularly for disabilities involving work limitations and difficulties in remembering, concentrating, or making decisions. These nonstandard workers also have lower socioeconomic status, are more likely to live in poverty, make greater use of Medicaid, and receive more workers’ compensation benefits. Many industries are increasing their reliance on labor contracts that differ from traditional full-time dependent employment contracts of indefinite duration.1 Workers in nonstandard work arrangements (hereafter referred to as nonstandard workers) vary in their characteristics and may include temporary agency workers, contract workers, freelancers, self-employed workers, and gig workers whose work is organized through a digital platform company. Reflecting on the increasing prevalence of nonstandard work arrangements, David Weil, a former administrator at the U.S.