Economic Participation Status and Household Welfare: Identifying Which Food Insecurity Experiences Are Most Affected

Abstract

This study examines how the economic participation status of the household head is associated with household food insecurity, using nationally representative survey data and experience-based food insecurity indicators. Instead of relying on a single index, the analysis uses eight separate Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) items to capture worry about food, diet quality, quantity reductions, and severe deprivation. Linear probability models are estimated for each outcome to identify which dimensions of food insecurity are most sensitive to labour force status. The results show that households headed by unemployed individuals face a markedly higher likelihood of both moderate and severe food insecurity. Households with employed heads generally experience lower risk, although food-related hardship is not entirely absent. By contrast, households with heads not in the labour force often exhibit equal or even lower vulnerability than employed-headed households. These findings highlight the need to distinguish labour force categories when designing social protection and employment-related policy responses.

Keywords: Economic participation, Food insecurity, Labour market status, Household welfare