Worklessness

In the 1958 National Child Development Study (NCDS), sons who grew up with workless fathers spent nearly eight per cent more time out of work when they were adults than sons whose fathers were in work. Similarly, in the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70), sons with workless fathers spent ten per cent more time out of work than those with employed fathers.

Both the 1958 and 1970 cohorts experienced economic recessions in their early working lives. The average time spent out of work went up considerably during these periods for both cohorts, but it was those who had grown up with workless fathers who suffered the most.

Researchers looking at data from the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) and Next Steps, which follows the lives of 16,000 people born in 1989-90, found that children from persistently workless households had poorer educational attainment throughout their schooling than their classmates whose parents were always working. They also found that young children from persistently workless households had lower cognitive ability than their peers.

Furthermore, an analysis of the MCS and the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children found that temporary as well as persistent worklessness was associated with lower levels of early academic achievement and progress in children.

An analysis of the 1958 National Child Development Study looked at the link between social and cognitive skills in childhood and the duration of an individual’s first unemployment spell in adolescence or early adulthood. The research revealed that those with higher social and cognitive skills at age 7 were likely to spend less time out of work and had an increased probability of finding employment.

Similarly, researchers using data from the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70) looked at the association between low levels of basic skills in adult life and unemployment. Their influential study found that, at age 30, men and women with poor numeracy skills were more than twice as likely to be unemployed as those with high levels of numeracy. The association was particularly strong for women. The researchers also found that poor literacy skills were linked to unemployment and disadvantage in adult life.

A comparison of the BCS70 with Next Steps, with follows the lives of around 16,000 people born in 1989-90, revealed that individuals who were not in education, employment or training (NEET) after leaving school were most likely to come from poor socio-economic backgrounds. However, the researchers found that a range of factors, such as educational aspirations, school engagement and school characteristics, can help young people overcome disadvantage and avoid becoming and remaining NEET.

Several studies have looked at the link between worklessness and adult wellbeing. Researchers using the 1970 British Cohort Study found that men who were employed continuously between the ages of 26 and 30 had better psychological health at age 30 than those who experienced periods of unemployment. The association was particularly strong for those who showed evidence of poorer psychological health at age 26.