This post was prompted by an infographic on twitter and an associated report that includes the infographics:
Davies AR, Homolova L, Grey C, Bellis MA (2017). Mass Unemployment Events (MUEs) – Prevention and Response from a Public Health Perspective. Public Health Wales, Cardiff ISBN 978-1-910768-42-6.
The report is very interesting, not just in it demonstrating the conceptual scope and application of Hodges' model, but in the real-world examples of people who have experienced this socioeconomic phenomena which impacts so heavily on the individual, spouses (partners) and communities. In addition the research is global across countries and industries. It is sobering to reflect also on the dynamic that is the workforce. Paradoxically, at present UK employment is at a high:
"The employment rate (the proportion of people aged from 16 to 64 who were in work) was 74.8%, the joint highest since comparable records began in 1971." (ONS June 2017).
The report does not mention the 'gig economy', but the rise of 'zero hours' a feature of the new economy is found on page 48. With demographers, forward thinking policy makers and media seers predicting the future of work as the robots not only find their feet, but walk, run and jump - you wonder where we are headed. Children will need to be educated in such a way that they are prepared to retrain, possibly several times in their working lives. Other avenues to ease the human pain are a basic universal income, and a reduced working week. You do wonder if another hidden and subtle MUE is underway? It is not so much massive, as yet, but it is happening in not so slow - slow motion ...?
What follows is drawn from section 4.
individual
|
INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES
humanistic ----------------------------------------- mechanistic
SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL
|
group - population
Effect on mental health and well-being
loss of self-esteem, increased stress,
anxiety, changes to perceived control,
shame and loss of status, withdrawal
experiencing a grieving process
insomnia, depression, self-harm,
attempted and completed suicide
loneliness
financial strain
Effect on pre-existing poor health behaviours -
helplessness, hopelessness
loss of individual and collective* identity |
physical health
reduced freedom from disability
back-pain
mortality
reduced life expectancy
stroke, myocardial infarction
weight gain
relapse to smoking ... again
- such as, increased alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking, illegal and prescription drug misuse, and being overweight
"job for life"
hidden morbidity |
spousal mental health
reduced household income
change in family dynamics
emasculation
increased conflict and domestic violence, increased unplanned pregnancy, and reduced infant growth - child educational attainment
Community impact: loss of cohesion and identity*
the already unemployed
social inequalities
women seeking community mental health support as their (male) partners will not seek help
having to work away from home
intergenerational impact
culture of worklessness, unemployability
"job for life of a family"
| hidden unemployed
accumulation of debt
jobs offered not local
labour market
competition
housing market - affordability
commuting costs
reliance on food banks
increased expenditure on antidepressants
and related drugs
financial hardship
increased hospitalisation, out-patient attendance
Community impact: labour market and economy
Loss of industries
youth move away -
no workers for new initiatives/industries
loss to local economy of MUE
reliance on welfare benefits
|
A future post will conduct a similar treatment of a publication by
The Money and Mental Health Policy Institute.
orcid.org/0000-0002-0192-8965
