A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Unemployment and Quality of Reemployment

One goal of this study was to compare individuals′ perceptions of jobs held before and following a period of unemployment in terms of global job satisfaction, facet job satisfaction, and job characteristics. Results did not support the expectation that most individuals would find poorer quality jobs following a period of unemployment. A second goal of this study was to assess changes in well-being over a 9-month period as unemployed individuals remained unemployed, found satisfactory employment, or found dissatisfactory employment. As expected, individuals moving from unemployment to satisfactory employment reported increased mental health, while individuals who remained unemployed or who found a dissatisfying job reported no changes in mental health.