The impact of unemployment and underemployment on suicide: An analysis

A study examining unemployment and underemployment figures and suicide rates in Australia has found both were significant drivers of suicide mortality between 2004-2016.

The researchers say the findings indicate that economic policies such as a Job Guarantee, which prioritize full employment, should be a core part of any comprehensive national suicide prevention strategy.

Predictive modelling also revealed an estimated 9.5 percent of suicides reported during that time resulted directly from unemployment and underemployment.

The analysis used national data, which included numbers of suicides per month provided by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, and monthly unemployment and underemployment statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Between 2004 – 2016, approximately 1 in 10 of the 32,331 suicides in total were estimated to result from labor underutilization (3071 suicides or 9.5 percent).

1575 suicides were attributed to unemployment (4.9 percent of total suicide mortality). 1496 suicides are attributed to underemployment (4.6 percent)

Reference: Unemployment and underemployment are causes of suicide, Science Advances, DOI-10.1126/sciadv.adg3758