The impact of unemployment on wellbeing is well documented, although research from a few years ago suggested that it’s ‘good work’ rather than just work that is the key to mental wellbeing. With the traditional gender roles presenting the role of men as the bread winner for the family, it seems logical that unemployment would pose a particular burden on men, and that was the subject of a recent report from the IZA World of Labor.
The report reveals that the number of working-age men outside the labor force is on the rise around the world, with this corresponding with a rise in stress and other mental health issues, including depression and anger. Indeed, male unemployment is also linked to a range of physical health concerns, including suicide and substance abuse that are raising mortality rates across the United States.
The researchers believe the issues of male unemployment are strongest among low-skilled labor, with those in work also suffering from declining wages and status. This often ultimately results in men dropping out of the labor force entirely.
Many of the issues facing unemployed men revolve around a loss of hope, and such issues were consistent around the world. That many unemployed men resort to opioid abuse merely exacerbates their slide into poor mental wellbeing. This is often accompanied by marriage failure and a decline in civic or religious participation.
One’s social standing was a key factor in this, as the image and self-esteem of many working class men is wrapped up in their hard work ethic, so being unemployed carries considerable stigma.
Labor participation
This situation is especially worrisome in the United States, where labor participation among working-age men is among the lowest in the OECD. What’s more, the trend has been worsening since 1999. The authors argue that poor collective bargaining power is coupled with a rise in low quality, unstable jobs helps to undermine wage growth, with the threat of automation looming ever larger.
Suffice to say, this isn’t an issue that all men suffer equally from, with poor white males reporting significantly lower levels of hope about the future than poor African-American or Hispanic men.
It’s a trend that the authors believe will only worsen in future unless clear policy measures are taken to rectify matters, either in terms of improving the employment prospects of lower-skilled men or encouraging civic participation.
“When it comes to encouraging participation by low-skilled workers, older workers can benefit from programs that reduce isolation via new opportunities for community involvement and volunteerism and improving safety nets. Equally important are supply-side policies, which include vocational training for less-than-college-educated younger workers, such as preparation for programming and other technology support jobs,” the authors say.
Wider consequences
The consequences of this labor market disenfranchisement are all too clearly evident throughout the western world. John B. Judis famously illustrated that the populist explosion we’re witnessing across the world today is not perhaps as unique as we fear it is, and indeed has roots stretching back a few hundred years.
Nonetheless, the stagnant wages, corporate malpractice and a widespread fear of being left behind by the global economy has created fertile ground for the common language Michael Kazin describes as being required for regular Joe’s and the wealthy politicians who claim to speak for them to create a united front against the elite who they believe work against their interests.
The role unemployment has played in creating this environment was underlined by a recently published paper from Tilburg University, which examined the fallout from the Great Recession in terms of both the growth in unemployment and the rise in immigration across the western world to test their role in the populist politics we see today.
The analysis suggests there is a distinction between the populism fed by economic concerns and populism fed by cultural ones. The analysis, which focused on the United States, explored the current political landscape through the lens of both the Great Recession of 2008 and the 2014 immigration crisis.
Twin pillars of populism
The analysis found that those who lost their job during the recession were significantly more likely to vote for Bernie Sanders left-wing brand of populism, with those who were already unemployed before 2008 more likely to be Hillary Clinton supporters.
By contrast, those living in areas most affected by new immigrants during the 2014 crisis were much more likely to vote for Donald Trump.
The author believes that their work is the first to fully explore the key drivers behind support for either left or right-wing populism at the individual level.
“Brexit, the rise of numerous radical left and radical right parties in Europe, as well as Donald Trump’s presidency and Bernie Sanders’s popularity during the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, present a surge in populism,” they say. “This study has investigated whether it is economic insecurity or cultural anxiety that has been driving the growth in populism.”
The ramifications for society of having large numbers of men shut out of the labor market are therefore considerable, and it’s far from clear that the populist leaders many turn to are willing or able to help those they claim to represent. If more mainstream political voices wish to regain the support of this considerable constituency therefore, it’s vital that they do a better job at helping people re-enter the labor force after they’re bunted out of it. Both the individuals concerned and society more broadly will surely thank them for it.
