Unemployment is bad for your health

11/06/14 . News

New report shows how men suffer double whammy from joblessness. Services are failing to address the serious health problems worsened by unemployment in men, hampering their chances of finding and retaining a job, says our new report.

Produced with The Work Foundation to coincide with Men’s Health Week, Sick of Being Unemployed outlines the major health issues of unemployment for men, and recommends a new, integrated response to health and unemployment.

Care and Support minister Norman Lamb

The report was launched today at an event with Norman Lamb, Minister for Care and Support. It shows that men, particularly those with previously unstable work, have a higher risk of developing poor health as a result of being unemployed than other groups. It sets out the effect of unemployment on men, highlighting that:

Sick of being unemployed report

  • Men are nearly twice as likely to have mental health problems due to being unemployed than women;

  • 800 extra male and 155 female suicides between 2008-2010 were linked to the recession above the trend, which had been decreasing;

  • Unemployed men actively seeking work have a 20% greater risk of death than employed men.

The report calls on the government to act start addressing the health issues of unemployment within back to work support services, via such schemes as the Work Programme. 

Care and Support Minister Norman Lamb said, “Mental health conditions can have a huge impact on people’s lives and this report highlights a major concern that men are being seriously affected by unemployment.

“I want to build a fairer society where people can get access to the support and treatments that they need to stay healthy. To see this happen we are investing £400m to improve access to psychological therapies which have so far helped over 80,000 people move back to work.”

Martin Tod, chief executive of the Men’s Health Forum, said, “We knew ill people were more likely to be unemployed - now our new report shows that being unemployed makes men sick. Of course, unemployment doesn't just affect men, but the effect on health appears to be much greater amongst men than amongst women. The government must look at how ill-health in unemployed men could be prevented. Local councils must work in partnership with Jobcentres, health care providers and charities to tackle the toll of unemployment on men.”

Jenny Gulliford, policy and research officer at The Work Foundation and lead author of the report said, “While the harmful effect of unemployment can be felt by both genders, there is evidence to suggest that men are overall more likely to suffer adverse health consequences than women, especially in the short term.

“With poor health often a barrier to returning to work, the government needs to take action if it wants to improve job outcomes. Worryingly, despite potential capacity in the Work Programme, it seems there is a lack of specialist support to either prevent poor health or to support jobseekers with pre-existing long term conditions or disability. A more innovative approach to tackling the health of unemployed men, including taking action at an earlier stage and a joined-up approach from Jobcentres and other agencies, must be taken to improve both the health and employment outcomes for men.”

A case study on an initiative from Tomorrow’s People and the James Wigg Health Centre, a GP surgery in London, shows just how integrated health and unemployment support can deliver real benefits to patients. The GP surgery agreed to have a Tomorrow’s People employment advisor based in its practice to offer support, holding one to one sessions with any patients that wanted them. The results were positive both in helping people return to work (87% entered employment, a voluntary or training placement, or some form of education) and in improving health outcomes.

Read the report Sick of being unemployed.

 

The Men’s Health Forum need your support

It’s tough for men to ask for help but if you don’t ask when you need it, things generally only get worse. So we’re asking.

In the UK, one man in five dies before the age of 65. If we had health policies and services that better reflected the needs of the whole population, it might not be like that. But it is. Policies and services and indeed men have been like this for a long time and they don’t change overnight just because we want them to.

It’s true that the UK’s men don’t have it bad compared to some other groups. We’re not asking you to ‘feel sorry’ for men or put them first. We’re talking here about something more complicated, something that falls outside the traditional charity fund-raising model of ‘doing something for those less fortunate than ourselves’. That model raises money but it seldom changes much. We’re talking about changing the way we look at the world. There is nothing inevitable about premature male death. Services accessible to all, a population better informed. These would benefit everyone - rich and poor, young and old, male and female - and that’s what we’re campaigning for.

We’re not asking you to look at images of pity, we’re just asking you to look around at the society you live in, at the men you know and at the families with sons, fathers and grandads missing.

Here’s our fund-raising page - please chip in if you can.

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