scholarly journals Characteristics of those most vulnerable to employment changes during the COVID-19 pandemic: a nationally representative cross-sectional study in Wales

Author(s):  
Benjamin J Gray ◽  
Richard G Kyle ◽  
Alisha R Davies

AbstractBackgroundThe public health response to the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a detrimental impact on employment and there are concerns the impact may be greatest amongst the most vulnerable. We examined the characteristics of those who experienced changes in employment status during the initial phase of the pandemic.MethodsA cross-sectional, nationally representative household survey of the working age population (18-64 years) in Wales in June 2020. A total of 1,382 adults responded (6.9% response rate). Employment outcomes between February and May/June 2020 were (i) no change in employment status, (ii) a change in employment, (iii) unemployment, and (iv) furlough. Chi-squared tests and logistic regression models examined associations between demographics, health status and employment outcomes.ResultsOf the working age population in paid employment in February 2020, 3.2% were unemployed and 32.0% had been placed on furlough by June 2020. Groups more likely to be placed on furlough included younger (18-39 years) and older (50-64 years) workers, people from more deprived areas, in lower skilled jobs, living with pre-existing health conditions and from households with less financial security. Groups in poorer health (not good general health, low mental wellbeing) and from households containing a child or with less financial security were more likely to experience unemployment.ConclusionA number of vulnerable population groups were observed to experience detrimental employment outcomes during the initial stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Targeted support is needed to mitigate against both the direct impacts on employment, and indirect impacts on financial insecurity and health.

2021 ◽  
pp. jech-2020-216030
Author(s):  
Benjamin J Gray ◽  
Richard G Kyle ◽  
Jiao Song ◽  
Alisha R Davies

BackgroundThe public health response to the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a detrimental impact on employment and there are concerns the impact may be greatest among the most vulnerable. We examined the characteristics of those who experienced changes in employment status during the early months of the pandemic.MethodsData were collected from a cross-sectional, nationally representative household survey of the working age population (18–64 years) in Wales in May/June 2020 (n=1379). We looked at changes in employment and being placed on furlough since February 2020 across demographics, contract type, job skill level, health status and household factors. χ2 or Fisher’s exact test and multinomial logistic regression models examined associations between demographics, subgroups and employment outcomes.ResultsOf our respondents, 91.0% remained in the same job in May/June 2020 as they were in February 2020, 5.7% were now in a new job and 3.3% experienced unemployment. In addition, 24% of our respondents reported being placed on furlough. Non-permanent contract types, individuals who reported low mental well-being and household financial difficulties were all significant factors in experiencing unemployment. Being placed on ‘furlough’ was more likely in younger (18–29 years) and older (60–64 years) workers, those in lower skilled jobs and from households with less financial security.ConclusionA number of vulnerable population groups were observed to experience detrimental employment outcomes during the initial stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Targeted support is needed to mitigate against both the direct impacts on employment, and indirect impacts on financial insecurity and health.


The Lancet ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 394 ◽  
pp. S44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin J Gray ◽  
Charlotte N B Grey ◽  
Lucia Homolova ◽  
Jiao Song ◽  
Alisha R Davies

Author(s):  
Christine C. Ekenga ◽  
Eunsun Kwon ◽  
BoRin Kim ◽  
Sojung Park

Advances in early detection and treatment have led to a growing population of female cancer survivors, many of whom are of working age. We examined the relationship between cancer and long-term (>5 years) employment outcomes in a nationally representative sample of working-age women in the United States. Data from nine waves of the Health and Retirement Study were used to examine employment status and weekly hours worked among cancer survivors (n = 483) and women without cancer (n = 6605). We used random slope regression models to estimate the impact of cancer and occupation type on employment outcomes. There was no difference in employment status between cancer survivors and women without cancer at baseline; however, during follow-up, cancer survivors were more likely to be employed than women without cancer (odds ratio (OR) = 1.33, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11–1.58). Among 6–10-year survivors, professional workers were less likely (OR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.21–0.74) to be employed than manual workers. Among >10-year survivors, professional workers averaged fewer weekly hours worked (−2.4 h, 95% CI: −4.4–−0.47) than manual workers. The impact of cancer on long-term employment outcomes may differ by occupation type. Identifying the occupation-specific mechanisms associated with the return to work will be critical to developing targeted strategies to promote employment in the growing female cancer survivor population.


2020 ◽  
Vol 114 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-30
Author(s):  
Mercedes A. Zapata

Introduction: In this study, the author examined the association between general self-efficacy (GSE) and employment status in working-age adults with retinitis pigmentosa (RP; N = 183). The author further examined the associations between employment status and factors that were previously found to be linked to employment outcomes in individuals with visual impairments: educational attainment, mobility tool use (i.e., use of dog guide or cane), ability to drive, age, gender, and age at onset of visual impairment. Methods: Multiple logistic regression was used to analyze cross-sectional data collected online in 2015. Results: Findings indicated that individuals with RP who have a bachelor’s degree or higher had significantly higher odds of being employed ( p < .01) and that individuals with RP who use a cane or dog guide had significantly lower odds of being employed ( p < .01). Although not statistically significant, findings further indicated that individuals with RP who have higher GSE had higher odds of being employed ( p = .07) and that individuals who are able to drive had 130% higher odds of being employed ( p = .06). Discussion: Results demonstrated an association between GSE and employment status, after controlling for factors that were previously linked to employment outcomes in individuals with visual impairment. Implications for practitioners: Self-efficacy is an alterable cognitive construct and may be the target of interventions to increase employment outcomes for adults with RP or other eye conditions.


2019 ◽  
pp. 80-86
Author(s):  
T. P. Skufina ◽  
S. V. Baranov

The presented study considers the susceptibility of gross domestic product (GDP) production to a shift in the number of the working-age population due to an increase in retirement age starting with 2019.Aim. The study aims to examine the quantitative assessments of GDP production in Russia with allowance for the changes in the number of the working-age population due to an increase in the actual retirement age.Tasks. The authors forecast the number of the working-age population with allowance for an increase in the retirement age; develop a model to establish a correlation between the number of the workingage population, investment in fixed capital, and GDP production; quantify the impact of the shift in the number of the working-age population on GDP production in Russia. Methods. This study is based on the results of modeling and long-term forecasting.Results. An economic-mathematical model to establish a correlation between the number of the working-age population, investment in fixed capital, and GDP production is presented. To specify the economic effects of a shift in the number of the working-age population due to an increase in the retirement age, Russia’s GDP production is forecasted for the “old” and “new” (increased retirement age) pension scheme. The forecast is provided for three variants of the number of the working-age population.Conclusions. It is found that with the “old” pension scheme with a lower retirement age GDP production across all three variants will decrease by 2036 compared to 2017. With regard to the “new” scheme that increases the retirement age, it is concluded that an increase in the retirement age is a factor that facilitates GDP production. However, its effect on economic growth will be insignificant.


Author(s):  
Nopphol Witvorapong ◽  
Yong Yoon ◽  
Wiraporn Pothisiri

Abstract Based on nationally representative data (N = 8,901), this study investigates the extent to which expectations for intra-family transfers and government assistance in old age impact the probability of saving for retirement among working-age individuals in Thailand. Results show that expectations for financial non-self-reliance and expectations that family support would constitute the most important source of old-age financial security reduce the probability that working-age individuals would save for retirement. Expectations for government support have no impact on average. Given that filial piety is weakening in Thailand, this study suggests that the government encourage pre-retirement savings more strongly.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. e043276
Author(s):  
Juhani Juhola ◽  
J P A Arokoski ◽  
Jenni Ervasti ◽  
Mika Kivimäki ◽  
Jussi Vahtera ◽  
...  

ObjectivesTo assess the internal consistency and construct validity of the Finnish translation of the Jenkins Sleep Scale (JSS) in a large healthy working-age population with diverse work characteristics.DesignSurvey-based cross-sectional cohort study.SettingSurvey conducted by an institute of occupational health.ParticipantsEmployees of 10 towns and 6 hospital districts.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe internal consistency defined by a Cronbach’s alpha. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to evaluate the construct structure of the JSS.ResultsOf 81 136 respondents, 14 890 (18%) were men and 66 246 (82%) were women. Their average age was 52.1 (13.2) years. Of the respondents, 41 823 (52%) were sleeping 7 or less hours per night. The mean JSS total score was 6.4 (4.8) points. The JSS demonstrated high internal consistency with an alpha of 0.80 (lower 95% confidence limit 0.80). Exploratory factor analysis supported a one-factor solution with eigenvalue of 1.94. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that all four items were positively correlated with a single common factor explaining 44%–61% of common factor’s variance.ConclusionsThe Finnish translation of JSS was found to be a unidimensional scale with good internal consistency. As such, the scale may be recommended as a practicable questionnaire when studying sleep difficulties in a healthy working-age population.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Yi Sum ◽  
Sherry Kit Wa Chan ◽  
Gloria Hoi Yan Wong

BACKGROUND Adolescence and young adulthood is a period of heightened risk of mental disorders onset. The Covid-19 pandemic may have impacted the daily lives and learning of students, exposing them to risks of emotional distress. Understanding factors associated with individual differences in distress can inform remedial strategies for schools. OBJECTIVE To investigate the impact of Covid-19 on undergraduate students’ lifestyle and learning, and explore relationship between depressive symptoms, resilience, and optimism/pessimism bias in undergraduate students in Hong Kong. METHODS Cross-sectional online survey of undergraduate students in a university (n=1020) before and during the third wave of Covid-19 outbreak in Hong Kong between May and August 2020. Changes in habits and family conflicts, depressive symptoms (measured using Patient Health Questionnaire-9), resilience (measured using Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale), optimism/pessimism towards Covid-19 risks, and knowledge about Covid-19 were recorded. Multivariable linear regression and mediation analyses were used to explore relationships with depressive symptoms. RESULTS 61.7% of respondents have mild to severe depressive symptoms. The regression model found that 18.5% of the variance in depressive symptoms was explained by resilience, pessimism bias, changes in sleep, decrease in study at home, and increase in family conflict. Mediation analysis showed that resilience is indirectly related to depressive symptoms through its relationship with pessimism (ab = -0.042, CI = -0.057 to -0.013). Higher resilience was associated with lower depressive symptoms even after accounting for resilience’s indirect effect through pessimism (c’ = 0.311, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS The findings highlight the mental health vulnerability of undergraduate students. Measures to reduce family conflict, maintain healthy daily habits, adjust optimism/pessimism bias, and enhance resilience may be useful for improving the mental wellbeing of undergraduate students during the pandemic.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  

Background: Since Covid-19 was declared a pandemic and a worldwide lockdown was imposed, it was predicted that there would be an increase in screen usage, especially among students, which could potentially have a lot of negative symptomology associated with it. Objective: The objective of our study was to determine the extent of screen exposure among medical students during lockdown and to study the symptoms that they faced due to it along with their frequency. Methods: In our descriptive cross-sectional study, we distributed the specifically designed questionnaire through online media to the concerned population, in order to gather important data about the physical and mental symptoms experienced by the medical students as a result of excessive screen exposure. Results: Of the 400 participants, 93.75 % reported an increase in screen time during the lockdown. As a consequence of increased screen usage, 207 (51.75%) of the participants reported headache, 267 (66.75%) reported fatigue, 283 (70.75%) reported eye strain, 121 (30.25%) reported dry eyes, 143 (35.75%) reported blurry vision, 154 (38.5%) reported teary eyes, 154 (38.5%) reported ear ache, 247 (61.75%) reported neck and back stiffness and 148 (37%) participants agreed to having experienced fingers and hand fatigue. We also established that increasing screen time was associated with a progressive decrease in physical activity (p=0.11) and increase in food consumption (p=0.002). A significant association was also recorded with weight gain (p=0.03). We found that the students previously diagnosed with a refractive error were more likely to complain of eye strain (p=0.004) and those diagnosed with migraine experienced more screen related headache (p=0.001). Of the 11 symptoms related to mental health in the questionnaire, students with screen usage of less than 4 hours marked a median of 2 symptoms, those with screen time of 4-8 hours marked a median of 4 symptoms and those with a screen usage >8 hours ticked a median of 5 symptoms. Students who had been diagnosed with anxiety or depression in the past checked an average of 5.24 symptoms while those with no such diagnosis had only 3.51 symptoms on average. Conclusion: The results proved a potential impact on the general health of the medical students. A significant increase in weight was observed along with other serious short and long term effects on their physical and mental wellbeing.


2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-99
Author(s):  
G. Perera ◽  
G. Di Gessa ◽  
L. M. Corna ◽  
K. Glaser ◽  
R. Stewart

Aims.Associations between employment status and mental health are well recognised, but evidence is sparse on the relationship between paid employment and mental health in the years running up to statutory retirement ages using robust mental health measures. In addition, there has been no investigation into the stability over time in this relationship: an important consideration if survey findings are used to inform future policy. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between employment status and common mental disorder (CMD) in 50–64-year old residents in England and its stability over time, taking advantage of three national mental health surveys carried out over a 14-year period.Methods.Data were analysed from the British National Surveys of Psychiatric Morbidity of 1993, 2000 and 2007. Paid employment status was the primary exposure of interest and CMD the primary outcome – both ascertained identically in all three surveys (CMD from the revised Clinical Interview Schedule). Multivariable logistic regression models were used.Results.The prevalence of CMD was higher in people not in paid employment across all survey years; however, this association was only present for non-employment related to poor health as an outcome and was not apparent in those citing other reasons for non-employment. Odds ratios for the association between non-employment due to ill health and CMD were 3.05 in 1993, 3.56 in 2000, and 2.80 in 2007, after adjustment for age, gender, marital status, education, social class, housing tenure, financial difficulties, smoking status, recent physical health consultation and activities of daily living impairment.Conclusions.The prevalence of CMD was higher in people not in paid employment for health reasons, but was not associated with non-employment for other reasons. Associations had been relatively stable in strength from 1993 to 2007 in those three cross-sectional nationally representative samples.


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