How Does Job Insecurity Affect Health?

In recent years, many countries have suffered an economic recession, the result of the ups and downs of the economic system. One of the most frequent results is job insecurity. The decrease in permanent jobs and the increase in part-time or hourly contracts affect the workforce that is in the low and high age ranges. Some are affected by lack of experience, while others are discriminated against because of their age.

This situation produces instability in the lives of many people, preventing in many cases the professional development they want, or delaying the arrival of children, the purchase of a house or a dream trip … In most cases, the frustration that it produces job insecurity affects health, both physical and psychological.

What causes job insecurity?

Job insecurity can be caused by different factors. Low wages, for example, in many cases prevent meeting basic needs, leading to stressful situations every time you have to face a cost of money. The relationship between work and the interests of the worker is also an important factor, since those who do not work for what they have studied or for what they are suitable consider their work as unsatisfactory. Low-quality contracts (short duration, part-time split, or even random hours) also greatly affect individual anxiety.

Anxiety is the result of overexposure to stress or an excessive number of negative expectations about the future. This is manifested when the levels of cortisol in the blood increase significantly in a sustained way over time. This situation can lead to the development of diseases, poor sleep quality or other types of disorders.

On the other hand, stress can be the consequence of poor safety conditions in the work environment. Construction-related jobs still have a high mortality rate, which causes stress among their workers. These, in many cases, feel exposed to dangers that range from loading machinery or heavy objects and exposure to chemical or very hot agents. We can also find dangers in the structure of buildings, where there are no safety harnesses. Or also in mines, where workers are exposed to toxic gases and a lack of oxygen.

The solution to job insecurity

It is evident that the correct financing of the projects that intricate the most dangers is very necessary. This economic injection translates into better machinery, clothing appropriate to working conditions or better financed unions for the benefit of workers.

In most cases, especially when employed, the worker has little influence on these economic decisions, which can lead to an even greater feeling of dissatisfaction. For this reason, affiliations to union groups related to the work being performed can be beneficial.

What can we contribute to the situation?

As individuals, we cannot exert too much influence on economic issues, so our scope of action is reduced to the individual and collective. As well as at the collective level, the most efficient thing is to form a group that shares ideas regarding needs and improvements in the workplace; On an individual level, we can cope in a healthy way with experienced stress or anxiety.

• Identify the cause of insecurity : As we have seen, not all causes of job insecurity are the same. They can be due to inefficient machinery, but also toxic relationships or even workplace harassment. Before proceeding to act, it is important to identify the cause of our anxiety, as it will require one solution or another.
• Establish priorities : the stress levels of a person subjected to job insecurity are higher than those of other people. We will then try to avoid other unnecessary stress situations. There are elements in our life that are not necessary or fundamental, so we must move away from them to remain calm.
• Do not overdo self-criticism : there are results in our work that not only depend on us. Accepting that perfection is not always achievable will help us relax. Sometimes we are our worst critics.

Positive thinking will help us deal with situations like this. Much of our stress is controllable if we know how to do it. However, if we are facing an extreme situation, it may be time to consider whether it is worth continuing to lose quality of life and ask for help. Dare to change to improve your health!