On and off the dole blues

The number of long-term unemployed has more than doubled since the financial crisis struck in 2008, leaving tens of thousands of people with little chance of ever working again, according to the Institute of Public Policy Research. More than 400,000 people have been unemployed for over two years. People lose their skills, fall behind in training and lose their confidence if they are out of work for too long, making them much less attractive to new employers.

Tony Dolphin, the chief economist at the IPPR said: "The longer someone is out of work, the more they lose motivation and confidence. They also miss out on vital training and work experience. This means that even when employment starts to pick up again, they will find it hard to compete with other jobseekers and could find themselves permanently shut out of the jobs market."

The IPPR analysis shows that 100,000 older workers (those aged 50 and over) who were made redundant at the start of the recession could be forced to retire earlier than they planned. This means many will be left with significantly lower pensions and therefore lower standards of living, Dolphin, says.

But long-term unemployment has increased even more among younger people – trebling to 95,000 since 2008. Research from previous recessions suggests that members of this group are likely to earn less than their peers when they do find work and more likely to experience further unemployment in later life.
From the Independent here

Yet for those still in work it does not bode well. Researchers say more and more Canadians are suffering from stress on the job and Americans don't seem to faring much better: recent polls found that 70 percent of American workers consider their workplace a significant source of stress.
Co-author of the study Mesbah Sharaf from the Concordia Department of Economics says that all this extra work stress adds up to numerous health risks, including back pain, colorectal cancer, infectious disease, heart problems, and diabetes. Meanwhile, he adds that job stress can interfere with healthy habits, such as getting to the gym, eating well, and not indulging in fatty or sugary treats.

Another recent study published in European Heart Journal found clocking in overtime may adversely affect a healthy heart.