Abstract
ObjectiveThe rapid transformation of labor markets has been accompanied by the belief of rising stress at work. However, empirical evidence on such trends based on reliable survey data is scarce. This study analyzes long-term trends in well-established measures of work stressors across Europe, as well as potential occupational differences.MethodsWe use repeated cross-sectional data of 15 European countries from waves 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015 of the European Working Conditions Surveys. We apply three-way multilevel regressions (with employees nested in country-years, which are in turn nested in countries) to analyze trends in work stressors measured according to the demand-control and effort-reward imbalance models. Trends by occupational groups are also assessed.ResultsOur findings suggest that work stress generally increased from 1995 to 2015, and that the increase was mostly driven by psychological demands. People working in lower-skilled occupations had generally higher levels of job strain and effort-reward imbalance, as well as they tend to have a steeper increase in job strain than people working in higher-skilled occupations. Most of the change occurred from 1995 to 2005.ConclusionOur results indicate that work stress has been on rise since 1995, specifically for people working in disadvantageous occupations. This directs the attention to the vulnerable position of the least skilled and also to the use of preventive measures to counteract some of the disadvantages experienced by this occupational group.
Highlights
The detrimental health consequences of work stress have been widely documented in the occupational health research
The percentage of 30–50 year old employees is relatively stable during 1995–2015, while the percentage of the young is decreasing and the older is increasing. This is in line with ageing trends and the increases of statutory retirement ages in all countries
Regarding the distribution between occupational groups, the percentage of manual occupations is decreasing from 1995 to 2015, while the proportion of clericals is on an increasing trend
Summary
The detrimental health consequences of work stress have been widely documented in the occupational health research. Work stress was found to be associated with lower employee productivity (Burton et al 1999), higher rate of sickness absence (Götz et al 2018; Mortensen et al 2017) and an earlier exit from the labor force (Hintsa et al 2015; Juvani et al 2014; Mäcken 2019). Despite the wide range of evidence on the negative consequences of work stress and its policy relevance, only a small number of studies analyze how the prevalence of work stressors has changed during the last decades. Labor markets have been undergoing profound structural changes.
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