People who are dissatisfied with jobs or associated with nerve-racking professions that is very demanding are prone to health issues. The level of stress was found to be higher in those with bad jobs than unemployed one.
Researchers at The University of Manchester in the UK monitored over 1,000 participants aged between 35 and 75 years who were unemployed during 2009-2010. They followed up with the participants during the next few years about their self-reported health and their levels of chronic stress as indicated by their hormones and other biomarkers related to stress. The team, including Tarani Chandola, professor at The University of Manchester, found that there was a clear pattern of the highest levels of chronic stress for adults who moved into poor quality work, higher than those who remained unemployed.
"Job quality cannot be disregarded from the employment success of the unemployed. Just as good work is good for health, we must also remember that poor quality work can be detrimental to health," said Chandola.
The study which was published in the International Journal of Epidemiology revealed that people who are content with their career had the lowest level of biomarker. It was noted that standard work quality contributes to mental health scores. However, no difference was found between the mental fitness scores of an unemployed person and one with bad job.
(With PTI inputs)
