Is there a link between loneliness and unemployment?

As per the researchers, loneliness tends to increase the chance of future unemployment. Those individuals who make claims, that, they frequently feel lonely are far more likely to lose their jobs later in life.

The finding of the study was published in the Journal "BMC Public Health" a team has led by Researchers at the University of Exeter. Earlier research has established that being unemployed can lead to loneliness, but the new study contradicts stating that opposite also applies across the working-age population. Their analysis has confirmed, previous finding that reverse is true-people who were unemployed were more likely to experience loneliness later.

What is the key to prevent loneliness and unemployment?

As per the Lead author Nia Morrish of the University of Exeter, stated that, "Given the persisting as well as potentially scarring effects of both loneliness as well as unemployment on health as well as economy, prevention of both experiences is the key.

Particular attention must be paid, to loneliness with additional support from employers and the government to improve health and wellbeing. As per the research was largely conducted pre-pandemic, however, we suspect this issue might be even more pressing, with more people working from home and potentially experiencing isolation due to anxieties due to covid.

Senior Author Professor Antonieta Medina-Lara stated "Loneliness is an incredibly important societal problem, which is often thought about in terms of the impact on mental health as well as wellbeing only.

Our finding indicates that, there might also be wider implication, which might have negative implications on individuals as well as the economy. We require to explore this further, and it could lay the foundation for employers or policymakers to tackle loneliness with a view to keep more people in work.

Paper co-author Dr Ruben Mujica-Mota, Associate Professor of Health Economics in the University of Leeds" School of Medicine, stated, while earlier research has shown that unemployment can lead to loneliness ours is the 1st study to identify those lonely people of any working age are at greater risk of becoming unemployed.

Their finding show that these, two issues may interact as well as create a self-fulfilling, negative cycle. There is need for greater recognition of the wider societal impacts of loneliness in the working-age population.