Este trabalho descreve aspectos das condições de trabalho e emprego e suas relações com a saúde, no contexto brasileiro, enfatizando as desigualdades sociais relacionadas com a inserção no mercado de trabalho, tendo sido desenvolvido como contribuição ao documento da rede "Employment Conditions and Health Inequalities Knowledge Network (EMCONET) - WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health". A pesquisa bibliográfica foi realizada no SciELO, LILACS, Google, Google Scholar, MEDLINE e no banco de teses da CAPES. No Brasil, o número de trabalhadores inseridos no setor informal supera o daqueles no setor formal. As informações sobre adoecimento e morte relacionados ao trabalho não estão disponíveis para o conjunto da população economicamente ativa. As condições de trabalho e saúde são ruins em ambos os grupos e, apesar do complexo arcabouço legal referente à proteção dos trabalhadores e de avanços setoriais, as políticas públicas permanecem fragmentadas, apresentam baixa cobertura e pouca eficácia. O crescente envolvimento do movimento social e de sindicatos de trabalhadores na elaboração e gestão de políticas e programas de saúde sinaliza um processo promissor em curso no país.This paper was prepared for the Employment Conditions and Health Inequalities Knowledge Network (EMCONET), part of the WHO Commission on the Social Determinants of Health. We describe the Brazilian context of employment conditions, labor conditions and health, their characteristics and causal relationships. The social, political and economic factors that influence these relationships are also presented with an emphasis on social inequalities, and how they are reproduced within the labor market and thereby affect the health and wellbeing of workers. A literature review was conducted in SciELO, LILACS, Google and Google Scholar, MEDLINE and the CAPES Brazilian thesis database. We observed that there are more workers operating in the informal sector than in the formal sector and these former have no social insurance or any other social benefits. Work conditions and health are poor in both informal and formal enterprises since health and safety labor norms are not effective. The involvement of social movements and labor unions in the elaboration and management of workers' health polices and programs with universal coverage, is a promising initiative that is underway nationwide.