If You're Unemployed, Taking a Bad Job Will Make Your Life Worse
It's pretty common knowledge by now that the jobless are more prone to depression and anxiety than their employed counterparts. To make matters worse, a new study suggests that crappy, unfulfilling jobs are even more harmful to mental health than unemployment.
The study, which surveyed 7,000 Australians over the course of seven years, found that people who transitioned from unemployment to jobs they didn't like were happier overall when they were jobless. An array of factors contributed to the classification of a "bad job":
... Newly employed people who felt overwhelmed, insecure about their employment, underpaid, and micromanaged reported a sharp decline in their mental health, including increased symptoms of depression and anxiety. Even those who couldn't find a job fared better.
Unemployed kids fresh out of overpriced colleges: forward this one to your nagging parents with that last sentence bolded.
