• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.96-101
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• 2021

Background: Many studies have reported noticeable increases in the proportion of employees working either relatively short or relatively long hours. Such trends have been accompanied by an increasing concern regarding work hour mismatches defined as a discrepancy between actual and preferred work hours. The aim of this study was to investigate association between work hour mismatch and depression. Methods: Data regarding work hour mismatches for 47,551 adults were extracted from the 2017 Korean Working Conditions Survey. The World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index was used to measure depression. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the association between work hour mismatch and depression. Results: Men and women workers with work hour mismatch were more likely to have depression [underemployed males: odds ratio (OR) = 1.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.14-1.49, overemployed males: OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.18-1.40; underemployed females: OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.20-1.56, overemployed females: OR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.02-1.23]. Underemployed workers, workers who worked more than 52 hours per week, and workers with a high income level, all had higher ORs for depression. The greater the discrepancy between actual and preferred work hours, the higher OR for depression among both underemployed and overemployed workers. Conclusions: A difference between actual and preferred work hours was associated with depression. Underemployed workers had a higher risk of depression than that of overemployed workers. As a work hour mismatch negatively affected workers' mental health, it is important to reduce work hours mismatches as well as shorten the absolute number of work hours.

• Proceedings of the Korean Statistical Society Conference
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• 2000.11a
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• pp.97-104
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• 2000

Time-related underemployment exists when a person's employment is insufficient in terms of the volume of work. Two alternative definitions can be considered based on a longer-term view or a shorter-term view and these were designed into a single questionnaire. We conducted a pilot sample survey with about 6,000 respondents in Korea. The estimates of underemployment using the two definitions show some differences given the ages, genders, industrial areas and main activities of the respondents. A larger number of people could be identified as underemployed when the longer-term view is used than when the shorter-term view is used, but there is a greater cost associated with the former. The cost-benefit of the interviewers' time was investigated by multiple visits to households. Biases and costs are also analyzed using the results of the comparison of the decrease in non-responses with the increase in the costs for the interviews.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.114-118
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• 2015

Objective : Venous thromboembolism (VTE) after spinal surgery affects a patients' postoperative recovery and also carries a mortality risk. Some studies recommended chemical prophylaxis for high-risk patients and for those after complex spinal surgeries. However, chemoprophylaxis for VTE in spinal surgery is underemployed and there is no agreement on the use of VTE prophylaxis in spinal surgery. The aim of this study was to document the incidence of VTE after an elective instrumental spinal surgery, among those receiving preoperative chemoprophylaxis as compared with patients who did not receive it. Methods : This study was carried out on eighty-nine patients allocated randomly to receive either low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) or no prophylaxis before elective instrumental spinal surgery. All patients received postoperative compression stockings. A compression Doppler ultrasonography was performed for all patients to detect postoperative deep vein thrombosis. In addition, further imaging studies were performed for patients suspected of VTE. Results : Three (3.3%) patients were diagnosed with VTE. One of them had received preoperative chemoprophylaxis. There were no significant difference in incidence of VTE between the two groups (p>0.95; 95% confidence interval, 0.06-8.7). Laterality of gender and postsurgical recumbence duration were all independent predictors of VTE (p=0.01 and p<0.001, respectively). Conclusion : The difference in the incidence of thromboembolic complications between the two groups was not significant. Moreover, we found that preoperative prophylactic LMWH injection has no major bleeding complications altering postoperative course; still, the issue concerning the initiation time of chemoprophylaxis in spinal surgery remains unclear.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.89-127
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• 2010

This paper explores the causes and solutions of the problem that the official unemployment rate does not adequately represent the reality of the employment situation in Korea. First, compared to ILO's international standards, there are several differences in the measurement of unemployment in Korea, for example, the treatment of unpaid family workers working less than 18 hours per week, the classification of persons who are waiting for a new job or temporarily laid-off, and the criteria of job search activities. The questionnaire structure of the Labor Force Survey in Korea also misleads the judgment of economic activity state. Comparing the responses of the basic survey to those of the supplementing survey, approximately 90% of the responses show discrepancies and this indicates the possibility of misclassification. Next, this paper suggests the extended unemployment indicators as alternative, based on the current survey. The extended unemployment indicators support the presence of significant amounts of hidden unemployed and underemployed. And, it is found that the analyses using those indicators are very useful for the investigation of many aspects of employment dynamics.