A bad job is worse than unemployment: Mental health study

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDOct 14 2010

According to the latest research a bad job is worse than unemployment for a person’s mental health. The study was published today in the journal BMC Public Health. Australian National University (ANU) researchers conducted the study.

A bad or poor job was defined as one with little job security, an unrealistic workload or little control over managing workload, or no prospects. It has been seen earlier than employed people have better mental health than unemployed people but this study according to researcher Dr Liana Leach from ANU's Centre for Mental Health Research shows that it is not as simple as getting one to employment.

Dr. Leach said, “Any job is not necessarily better than no job at all. And it's not about a particular type of job…Poor conditions can occur in any kind of occupation.” The findings are important for both employers and programs aiming to get people back to work, says Leach. “Programs are often focused on getting people into any type of work as quickly as possible. This study shows that if that's without a focus on moving people into work that satisfies them, benefits in mental wellbeing and social exclusion aren't likely,” she added.

The team looked at around 4,000 people living in Canberra and Queanbeyan. Participants completed a survey about their employment status and conditions as well as their mental wellbeing. The same survey was repeated four years later. A similar study by Leach and her colleague Dr Peter Butterworth of more than 7000 people across Australia found that people who move from unemployment to a high-quality job tend to see an improvement in wellbeing. She says, “That's the positive side - if we can get people into good quality work then we see an improvement in terms of depression and anxiety. It means these factors are modifiable - employers can change things that will have an impact on their employees’ mental health.”

Dr Tessa Keegel, a research fellow at the McCaughey Centre at the University of Melbourne agrees with the study. “This research is particularly relevant at the moment as Australia moves out of the global financial crisis and employment opportunities start to open up…In a just and fair Australia there should be no ‘disposable workers’ who are left behind in poor quality jobs which are harmful to their health,” she added.