Work
Unemployment | Quality | Security
About 3 mins
Why work matters for health
Work is one of the building blocks of a healthy society. Whether we have a job or not, and the quality of that job, influences our physical and mental health. This relationship between employment and health works both ways, as poor health can also limit our ability to find and sustain work.
The nature of our work – including location, pay, hours, progression, and working conditions – matters for our health. And it affects the other building blocks of good health, such as having sufficient income and forming social connections.
How do employment and unemployment affect physical and mental health?
Having a job often provides financial security, a sense of purpose and social connections, which all support our health. Unemployment is where we are without a job but are able to work and actively seeking work. Being unemployed doesn’t just mean losing income, it often brings stress and uncertainty that weigh heavily on mental wellbeing. People who are unemployed are more likely to experience anxiety, depression and lower self-esteem, as the absence of work erodes both financial security and a sense of purpose.
At the sharper end of these impacts, prolonged unemployment can spill over into physical health. Stress can lead to unhealthy coping behaviours, such as smoking or drinking, which increase the risk of poorer long-term health and illness. Financial strain compounds these challenges, limiting access to healthy food, stable housing and health care. Poverty caused by unemployment can also have lasting consequences, reducing future earning potential and resources.
These effects are not felt equally. Reviews have found that the effects of unemployment on our health tend to be worse for men and people who are unemployed because of health reasons. But these effects did improve if people had strong social networks. There is a similar relationship between unemployment and mental health, including depression, anxiety and levels of self-esteem.
Health conditions affect employment outcomes too, because they can limit the type or amount of work people can do. People with long-term health conditions are also more likely to experience other barriers to employment, for example lower education levels or challenges accessing transport.
How can job quality affect health and wellbeing?
While unemployment is associated with worse health, not all work is necessarily good for our health. Some research shows that poor-quality employment is as bad for health as unemployment.
The nature of jobs varies massively. Good work can provide an adequate and reliable income, career progression and good employee wellbeing. Poor-quality work might include low pay, insecure employment or unreliable working patterns, workplace hazards, lack of control and autonomy over our work, and poor support from employers. These can all affect our health and wellbeing.
While there are physical demands for workers, the risks of fatal and non-fatal injuries at work today are far lower than they were 20 or 30 years ago. This is partly due to improved regulation and safety measures and partly because of the shift in the types and proportions of industries that make up the economy. There are still physical risks linked to work in the UK, but these fall into broader categories, including prolonged sitting and working with screens.
Work can also harm mental health. Job strain, which occurs when a worker doesn’t have the autonomy they need to manage the demands of their job, can cause chronic stress. This can contribute to mental health conditions, such as depression or anxiety, and make us more susceptible to physical health conditions such as cardiovascular disease or hypertension.
What impact does job security have on health?
Job security – our confidence in keeping our job or working hours – can give us peace of mind and positively impact our health. Job insecurity can cause stress and uncertainty, which might include worrying about losing our jobs, our future prospects and income.
Insecure work has been linked to reduced wellbeing, job satisfaction and a range of physiological problems. It has also been linked with poorer self-rated health, anxiety and depression, hypertension and coronary heart disease. Several studies have found job insecurity to be a cause of chronic stress, affecting both short-term and long-term health, and becoming more potent the longer insecurity lasts.
