Precarious employment in Chile: psychometric properties of the Chilean version of Employment Precariousness Scale in private sector workers

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to perform a psychometric analysis (acceptability, reliability and factor structure) of the Chilean version of the new Employment Precariousness Scale (EPRES). The data is drawn from a sample of 4,248 private salaried workers with a formal contract from the first Chilean Employment Conditions, Work, Health and Quality of Life (ENETS) survey, applied to a nationally representative sample of the Chilean workforce in 2010. Item and scale-level statistics were performed to assess scaling properties, acceptability and reliability. The six-dimensional factor structure was examined with confirmatory factor analysis. The scale exhibited high acceptability (roughly 80%) and reliability (Cronbach's alpha 0.83) and the factor structure was confirmed. One subscale (rights) demonstrated poorer metric properties without compromising the overall scale. The Chilean version of the Employment Precariousness Scale (EPRES-Ch) demonstrated good metric properties, pointing to its suitability for use in epidemiologic and public health research.