The Young and the Healthless? Unemployed ‘Milllennials’ Sicker than Older Workers

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/6227/unemployed_millenials/

Wednesday July 14 3:13 pm By Akito Yoshikane

July is typically the summertime peak for youth employment. But new job figures released yesterday by the government show it’s still hard to get hired.

With monthly job openings falling from 3.3 million to 3.2 million in May, finding work has been especially tough for so-called Millennials this year. Older, more experienced workers seeking jobs may have dampened prospects for young adults. Now comes news that the unemployment rate already at 14 percent for those ages 18 to 29, stress may be finally catching up to young Americans' health.

A Gallup poll released last Friday found that younger unemployed workers suffer more health problems than those over 30 and out of work. The results were part of a larger finding that said in most cases the number of “poor health days” increased the longer a worker was jobless.

Working In These Times has chronicled the connections between unemployment and declining health, along with the challenges facing youth workers in this economy. But the new poll narrows down the specific wellness issues plaguing the young and jobless today, showing that young adult health is adversely affected due to lack of work. Here are the key findings:

* Unemployed 18 to 29 year-olds who have been jobless for at least six months reported the highest amount of sick days, a mean of 6.3 days. That's nearly three times more than young workers (18-29) who have been without a job for less than six months. Surprisingly, 50-69 year-olds had the lowest health problems with 4.4 days and unemployment had almost no affect on their health.

* Workers who have been unemployed for extended periods suffered more headaches and pain than those who were employed. Those without jobs also felt less rested and weren’t as energetic.

* The young workers suffered the most health issues. The survey notes that some might have had pre-existing conditions but also says “the existence of physical pain, greater sick days, and loss of energy may make it more difficult, at least for the younger unemployed, to maintain employment or find new job opportunities.”


FULL story at link.

[valerief]

1. Younger people have more colds than older people, because older people

have built up a lifetime of immunity.