Twenty per cent greater risk of death for out-of-work males, compared to employed counterparts
Men are nearly twice as likely to have mental health problems due to being unemployed than women, according to a new report from The Work Foundation.
While the effect of unemployment can be felt by both genders, men, particularly those with previously unstable work and with a lower socio economic status, have a higher risk of developing poor health as a result of being unemployed than other groups.
The report, Sick of Being Unemployed: The health issues of out of work men and how support services are failing to address them, brings together literature review to suggest that unemployed men actively seeking work have a 20 per cent greater risk of death than employed men.
One in seven men were also likely to develop depression within six months of being made redundant, according to the report.
The recent economic crisis has had a significant effect on both female and male health, with 800 extra male and 155 female suicides between 2008-2010, which experts suggest is the result of the physiological shock of being unemployed and the rise in substantial personal debt.
Jenny Gulliford, policy and research officer at The Work Foundation and lead author of the report said poor health was also a significant barrier for getting unemployed people back to work, and more needed to be done to address the adverse health consequences.
The report calls on the government to act on preventing ill health and address the issue of existing health conditions.
“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,” Gulliford said.
“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.”
As part of the report, The Work Foundation offers a number of recommendations to tackle barriers to employment within back to work support services.
These include:
1) Enabling Jobcentres to take greater action to prevent poor health amongst unemployed men;
2) Helping back to work support providers identify men at risk of developing poor health or already suffering from it;
3) Incentivising and supporting Work Programme providers to address this issue are all changes which would contribute to tackling this issue.
“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,” Martin Tod, chief executive of the Men’s Health Forum, said.