Unemployment and mortality

The literature concerning unemployment and mortality is reviewed. Studies on the aggregate level do not show a systematic relation between unemployment and mortality on a societal level. Longitudinal studies in which cohorts of unemployed and employed people are followed up for 10 years show SMR values from about 110 to 200. These studies do not include information on health status before the onset of unemployment and therefore do not present adequate possibilities for evaluating the extent and significance of health‐related selection. Unemployment is a psychosocial stressor that threatens the identity, self‐esteem, social network and economy of unemployed people. Studies on psychological well‐being show that unemployment as a stressor is modified by a number of factors, such as various coping patterns. We put forward the hypothesis that when unemployment is an element of downward mobility it is particularly damaging and may be associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Finally, we emphasize the need for a more flexible theory on unemployment as a stressor and for regarding unemployment as a dynamic element in a person's relation to the labour market.