Unstable work and job stress linked to poor mental and physical health: Study
The kind of jobs people have can significantly affect their mental and physical health, according to a new study from the World Health Organization (WHO).
The study, to which Carles Muntaner of Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health contributed, found workers with precarious employment, such as temporary or part-time work with low wages and no benefits, had poorer physical and mental health when compared to workers in full-time jobs with good pay and benefits.
Closing the Gap in a Generation: Health Equity Through Action on the Social Determinants of Health also found stress at work is associated with a 50-per-cent increased risk of heart disease. Jobs with high demands, low control and where employees aren't adequately rewarded for their efforts also increase the risk for mental and physical health problems including major depression, anxiety disorders and substance abuse.
"Access to health care is not the only determinate of a healthy community," said Muntaner. "All aspects of our lifestyle, including how we work, are intrinsically linked to our wellbeing and our quality and length of life. If the face of Canada's ever-changing labour market, we must understand and improve the relationship between health and work."
Canada's manufacturing industry has lost 88,000 jobs this year and part-time employment has grown at a rate of 3.5 per cent, much faster than the 0.9 per cent for full-time employment, according to Statistics Canada.
The report makes three overarching recommendations to achieve health equality, including improving employment and working conditions.
The report recommends that full and fair employment and decent work should be made a shared objective of international institutions and a central part of national policy agendas and development strategies, with strengthened representation of workers in the creation of policy, legislation and programmes relating to employment and work. This also includes improving working conditions for all workers to reduce their exposure to material hazards, work-related stress, and health-damaging behaviours.
The report states that health equity requires safe, secure, and fairly paid work, year-round work opportunities and healthy work-life balance for all. To achieve this:
• Organizations should provide quality work for men and women with a living wage that takes into account the real and current cost of healthy living.
• International agencies should support countries to implement core labour standards for formal and informal workers; to develop policies to ensure a balanced work-home life; and to reduce the negative effects of insecurity among workers in precarious work arrangements.
The study, to which Carles Muntaner of Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health contributed, found workers with precarious employment, such as temporary or part-time work with low wages and no benefits, had poorer physical and mental health when compared to workers in full-time jobs with good pay and benefits.
Closing the Gap in a Generation: Health Equity Through Action on the Social Determinants of Health also found stress at work is associated with a 50-per-cent increased risk of heart disease. Jobs with high demands, low control and where employees aren't adequately rewarded for their efforts also increase the risk for mental and physical health problems including major depression, anxiety disorders and substance abuse.
"Access to health care is not the only determinate of a healthy community," said Muntaner. "All aspects of our lifestyle, including how we work, are intrinsically linked to our wellbeing and our quality and length of life. If the face of Canada's ever-changing labour market, we must understand and improve the relationship between health and work."
Canada's manufacturing industry has lost 88,000 jobs this year and part-time employment has grown at a rate of 3.5 per cent, much faster than the 0.9 per cent for full-time employment, according to Statistics Canada.
The report makes three overarching recommendations to achieve health equality, including improving employment and working conditions.
The report recommends that full and fair employment and decent work should be made a shared objective of international institutions and a central part of national policy agendas and development strategies, with strengthened representation of workers in the creation of policy, legislation and programmes relating to employment and work. This also includes improving working conditions for all workers to reduce their exposure to material hazards, work-related stress, and health-damaging behaviours.
The report states that health equity requires safe, secure, and fairly paid work, year-round work opportunities and healthy work-life balance for all. To achieve this:
• Organizations should provide quality work for men and women with a living wage that takes into account the real and current cost of healthy living.
• International agencies should support countries to implement core labour standards for formal and informal workers; to develop policies to ensure a balanced work-home life; and to reduce the negative effects of insecurity among workers in precarious work arrangements.
