Prospective cohort study of socioeconomic status and subsequent unemployment under COVID-19 in Japan

Background: This study examined the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and subsequent unemployment. Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted using a self-administrated questionnaire in Japan. SES, personal characteristics, and occupation of recruited workers were surveyed at baseline (December 22-25, 2020); subsequent unemployment was examined at follow-up (February 18-19, 2021). We determined the odds ratios (ORs) of unemployment for SES and other variables using a multilevel logistic model. Results: Among all 19,941 participants, 2.3% reported experience of unemployment through negative reasons. Multivariate analysis showed the OR and 95% confidence interval for unemployment associated with age to be 0.66 (0.47-0.92) for 30-39 years, 0.36 (0.25-0.51) for 40-49, 0.36 (0.25-0.53) for 50-59, and 0.43 (0.27-0.67) for more than 60 compared with 20-29 years. The association with annual household income was 2.96 (1.94-4.50) for <2 million yen and 1.51 (1.03-2.22) for 2-4 million yen compared with >10 million yen. The association with marital status was 1.43 (1.04-1.98) for bereaved/divorced compared with married (working spouse). The association with occupation was 1.75 (1.35-2.29) for temporary or contract employees and 2.11 (1.04-4.30) for agriculture, forestry, or fishing compared with general employees. The association with job type was 1.69 (1.34-2.15) for mainly manual labor. Conclusion: We observed a relationship between SES and subsequent unemployment under COVID-19. It is necessary to provide broad, ongoing support in the form of both short-term assistance and long-term job training and health care.

Download Full-text

Prospective Cohort Study of Sociodemographic Factors, Including Occupation and Subsequent Unemployment, Under COVID-19 in Japan

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1209146/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Makiko Kuroishi ◽

Tomohisa Nagata ◽

Ayako Hino ◽

Seiichiro Tateishi ◽

Akira Ogami ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Interpersonal Communication ◽

Prospective Cohort Study ◽

Prospective Cohort ◽

Personal Characteristics ◽

Junior College ◽

Sociodemographic Factors ◽

Vulnerable Groups ◽

Annual Household Income ◽

Non Profit

Abstract Background: We examined the relationship between sociodemographic factors, including occupation and unemployment, among workers during COVID-19 in Japan.Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study using a self-administrated questionnaire. We surveyed the socioeconomic status, personal characteristics, and occupation of recruited workers at baseline (December 22–25, 2020); subsequent unemployment was examined at follow-up (February 18-19, 2021). We determined the odds ratio (OR) of unemployment for sociodemographic status and occupation. The multivariate model was adjusted for sex and age.Results: Among the 19,941 participants, 725 (3.6%) had experienced unemployment. Multivariate analysis showed that the OR and 95% confidence interval (CI) of unemployment associated with sex were 1.35 (1.14–1.60) for women compared with men. With increasing age, the OR for unemployment was lower (OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.97–0.99; P <0.001), adjusted for sex. The OR and 95% CI for the association with marital status were as follows: 1.33 (1.03–1.71) for being married (spouse not working); 2.09 (1.65–2.64) for bereaved or divorced; and 1.29 (1.07–1.56) for unmarried compared with married (spouse working). The respective figures for the association with annual household income were as follows: 4.05 (3.00–5.46) for <2 million yen; 2.12 (1.62–2.78) for 2–4 million yen; and 1.46 (1.11–1.93) for 4–6 million yen, compared with >10 million yen. The figures for the association with education were 1.73 (1.12–2.66) for junior high or high school and 1.83 (1.19–2.83) for vocational school, junior college, or technical school. The association with occupation was 2.01 (1.63–2.48) for temporary or contract employees, 1.35 (1.02–1.78) for self-employed, and 3.02 (1.68–5.42) for agriculture, forestry, or fishing, compared with general employees; it was 0.56 (0.40–0.79) for public employees, faculty members, or non-profit organization employees. The association with job type was 1.25 (1.04–1.51) for jobs mainly involving interpersonal communication and 1.85 (1.55–2.21) for mainly manual or physical labor, compared with mainly desk work.Conclusions: COVID-19 appears to have created difficulties for previously vulnerable groups. This suggests the need for employment and economic support for such individuals.

Download Full-text