The Early Bird

The Early Bird
The Early Bird Gets the Best Job!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

A Bad Job or No Job

Would you rather have a bad job or no job at all?  A bad job may be more detrimental to your mental health than unemployment.

Jobs with
-low decision making capacities
-demanding work
-poor reward scales
affect mental health more adversely than joblessness.

People who are unemployed can feel better-off mentally than those who are in poor jobs of low "psychosocial quality".

Moving from unemployment to jobs with these qualities was associated with a significant decline in mental health relative to remaining unemployed.

Bad jobs also contribute to overall social decline.  In the long run the erosion of work conditions may incur a health cost which over the longer term would be counterproductive both economically and socially.

Some may argue that employment contributes highly to one's well being and sense of purpose.  However, a demanding and unrewarding job may make you unhappier than not having a job at all.

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