Employment policy is also health policy according to a University of British Columbia study that found that workers experienced higher mortality rates if they didn’t have access to social protections like employment insurance and unemployment benefits.
Researchers with the Human Early Learning Partnership and the School of Population and Public Health at UBC found that low and medium-skilled workers in the United States are at a greater risk of death if they lose their job than their German counterparts, who have access to more robust employment protections and insurance.
“Employment insurance makes a difference to the health of the most vulnerable populations, low-wage and poorly educated workers,” said Chris McLeod, the lead researcher on the paper and a post-doctoral fellow with the Human Early Learning Partnership. “For low-wage and poorly educated workers, it’s not just about losing your job but losing your job and being at the bottom of the labour market.”
To read the full media release, visit the UBC Public Affairs News Room.