Decent, stable job VS challenging, high-paying job, which one do you choose?(The two can be described as fish and bear's paws, welcome to discuss in the comment area!)
With the transformation of the labor market brought about by digital and technological advances in recent years, and the rise of the service economy since the 80s of the 20th century, the uncertainty of the job market has been clouded, and the once "money first" concept has begun to falter in the face of "long-term career stability and physical and mental health".
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Nowadays, more and more young people are facing the increasingly turbulent employment situation, and they have begun to re-examine their career choices, and the pursuit of stability has become the new fashion.
Are you faced with a choice? Are you wondering what is the best choice for your working life? Perhaps this new study can shed some light on you.
The study, which lasted more than 30 years and focused on people aged 22 to 49, showed that between the ages of 22 and 49, erratic working hours were significantly associated with poorer health in middle age, including less sleep per day, poor sleep quality, and poor physical and mental health. The study, titled "How our longitudinal employment patterns might shape our health as we approach middle adulthood—US NLSY79 cohort", was published in the journal PLOS ONE.
Job instability = healthy invisible killers
Precarious jobs are defined as those in poor working conditions and weak power relations, including low wages, unpredictable or erratic working hours, and few or no benefits. One of the basic indicators of job instability is working outside of the traditional 9:00 to 5:00 hours, such as early morning, late evening, or night, or irregular work hours (such as shifts, splits, or unpredictable working hours).
It has been recorded that people who work non-standard hours have significantly worse health than their peers, including shorter sleep hours and lower sleep quality. In addition, a growing body of academic research has shown a poor association between non-standard work schedules, especially night shifts, and a higher likelihood of poor physical health (e.g., cardiovascular disease) and mental health conditions (e.g., anxiety, depression).
This study builds on a life-course perspective and conceptualizes the relationship between employment throughout adulthood and sleep and health at 50 years of middle age. The researchers drew on a fundamental principle from a life-course perspective – that human development and aging are lifelong processes. Therefore, this study uses longitudinal data to conceptually and empirically examine how a person's work patterns in their working life between the ages of 22 and 49 affect their sleep and physical and mental health at age 50.
"Our health is closely linked to the everyday events that happen around us, but their effects may not be felt until years later," the researchers said. Therefore, long-term longitudinal studies allow us to better identify and investigate stable associations between changes in work and health. ”
In this study, the participants' work patterns were divided into different categories:
Standard Time (ST): About 60% of participants mainly follow the standard 9-to-5 style of work, which has a regular schedule and fixed working hours.
Hybrid (ST+VH): 35% of participants are based on standard time, but their work schedule also includes a certain variable time (VH), i.e. they are required to work outside of standard working hours occasionally or periodically.
Stable working hours: 26% of participants enjoyed extremely stable working hours, meaning that their work and rest routines were almost unaffected by any changes.
In addition, the study focuses on a particular type of employment pattern shift:
Early ST to instability: 17% of participants followed standard work hours early in their careers (in their 20s), however as they entered their 30s, their work schedules changed significantly to irregular work schedules. This group of people is labeled as "early ST instability" because they have experienced the transition from standard time to erratic working hours.
Figure 1. Map of the distribution of five sequence clusters of work arrangements between the ages of 22 and 49
The researchers found that age, gender, ethnicity, education, marital status, health problems that limit the ability to work, years of receiving benefits or living in poverty, number of marriages and children, weekly hours worked, and occupation were generally associated with sleep length and quality, among other health outcomes.
People in disadvantaged social positions (e.g., female, sub-high school education, previously married, in poor health, multiple marriages, more experiences of poverty and welfare, no full-time job status) have lower sleep quality, poor physical and mental status, and are more likely to self-report poor health and have depressive symptoms.
The results of the study showed that migrant workers with unstable working time patterns were expected to sleep significantly less per day, sleep quality was lower, and were more likely to experience poor health and depressive symptoms at age 50 compared to those who worked normally during the day.
Therefore, health can be an important consideration in decision-making when planning and evaluating career opportunities. A stable 9-to-5 working model can effectively reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and depression, and improve sleep quality and quality of life. Especially early in your career, choosing a health-friendly work model can help lay a strong foundation for physical and mental health in middle and old age. What do you think? What would you choose?
Resources:
[1] Han WJ. How our longitudinal employment patterns might shape our health as we approach middle adulthood-US NLSY79 cohort. PLoS One. 2024 Apr 3; 19(4):e0300245. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300245. PMID: 38568881; PMCID: PMC10990189.
[2] Benach J, Vives A, Amable M, Vanroelen C, Tarafa G, Muntaner C. Precarious employment: Understanding an emerging social determinant of health. Annu. Rev. Public Health. 2014; 35(1): 229–53. 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-032013-182500 - DOI - PubMed
Source: Biovalley
撰文 | Cathy
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