Background – Research on the links between health and employment status often relies on a segmented approach to unemployment and employment. In contrast, we propose a continuum ranging from stability to long-term exclusion from the labor market. The objective of our study is to operationalize this continuum of labor market integration and to test its utility by exploring its links with self-reported health.Method – The 2024 Families and Employers Survey (FamEmp 2024) was conducted among a representative sample of 41,233 individuals aged 20 to 65 in mainland France. Employment status (integration continuum) is defined according to types of employment and transitions from employment to unemployment. The probability of reporting poor health was modeled by gender, based on position along this continuum (multivariate logistic regressions).Results – Compared to “stable, secure” salaried employment, we found a strong association between poor health and long-term unemployment, as well as with “stable but uncertain” salaried employment, and in cases of transition from stable employment to short-term unemployment. The association with atypical salaried employment is observed only among men, whereas self-employed women in managerial roles report fewer chronic illnesses.Conclusion – It appears essential to take into account subjective insecurity even within stable employment, as it corresponds to health profiles similar to those of the long-term unemployed. However, interpreting the meaning of these relationships requires expanding our approach using longitudinal data.