Having a job is not always better than not having a job. Poor psychological conditions at workplace, uncertainty of holding on to a job, and stressful working conditions have a direct link to deteriorating health.
Previous studies have repeatedly insisted that having a job has a positive effect on health compared with not having a job. However, a new study published in BMC Public Health found that employment doesn’t always guarantee good health. The study found strong evidence that the threat of losing one’s job can pose an adverse health risk for the employed. In simple words, job insecurity harms health even more than unemployment.
The authors conducted searches in the Medline, Embase and PsychInfo databases, then compared health risks for job insecurity and unemployment and studied the quantitative analysis for one or more health outcomes. The purpose of this report was 2-fold:
Among the health outcomes, measures of mental health included anxiety, depression, comfort and enthusiasm. General health related indicators were long-standing illness and number of health problems, hypertension and mortality.
The findings were as follows:
Relevance in Today’s Competitive World
The link between unemployment and health has previously been studied several times. It is a widely established fact that joblessness is linked to poorer self-rated health, mental illness, more physical complaints, an increased risk for coronary heart diseases and higher all-cause mortality. On the contrary, it is a popular notion that being employed potentially promotes health.
But that is not always true.
Having a job is not always better than not having a job. Poor psychological conditions at workplace, uncertainty of holding on to a job, and stressful working conditions have a direct link to deteriorating health.
The study stresses on the importance of refined policy interventions to enable reduction of insecure employment. If workers can be guaranteed some certainty of their jobs, it can automatically positively reinforce good health. If workers are in constant fear of being laid off, the long-term implications on health are worse.
“Thus, policies should not only focus on the health risks posed by unemployment, but should also aim at the reduction of job insecurity of the employed,” the authors concluded.
Empowering Community Health Through Wellness and Faith
April 23rd 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. In the third episode, Camille Clarke-Smith, EdD, MS, CHES, CPT, discusses approaching community health holistically through spiritual and community engagement.
Listen
Data Back Neoadjuvant Combo vs Chemo Alone for Early-Stage NSCLC
April 24th 2024For patients with early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), combining neoadjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitors and platinum-based chemotherapy improves 2-year outcomes over chemotherapy alone, suggest findings of an extensive literature review and meta-analysis.
Read More
Overcoming Employment Barriers for Lasting Social Impact: Freedom House 2.0 and Pathways to Work
April 16th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our second episode, in which we learn all about Freedom House 2.0 and the Pathways to Work program.
Listen
Patient Navigation in Oncology at Heart of Priority Health White House Visit
April 24th 2024On March 27, Priority Health's president and CEO, Praveen Thadani participated in a discussion on how to expand and optimize patient navigation services in oncology care, as part of the Cancer Moonshot initiative.
Read More