This article is about the interrelation between labor conditions and health. The growing intensity of labor causes serious damages to the health of the worker. The concept of immaterial labor provides proper ground for the hypothesis that the intensification of immaterial activities has created a new category of health problems for workers. An empirical analysis was conducted on data from 825 surveyed workers in the Federal District area, in Brazil. The analysis showed the existence of two different health problems: the first illustrated by construction workers, the best example of a material worker, and, the second, by phone-company workers, performing a recently privatized immaterial activity that was exposed to the severity of international competition. The intensification of material labor primarily affects the body of the worker - i.e. the uncountable cases of work accidents - and immaterial labor causes problems with unique characteristics involving cognitive, emotional, relational and social aspects of the worker and the groups that he/she belongs to.
labor; intensity; immateriality; health; characteristics of health problems
