A recent study from the University of British Columbia showed that workers who were unemployed often had more health issues, specifically because they did not have the type of health and medical benefits that would make healthcare more affordable for them. Researchers found interesting details from the study, showing that individuals employed in the United States are more likely to die if they become unemployed than the employees working in Germany, as they have a lot of different types of protection for insurance and employment.

One of the lead researchers for the study, Chris McLeod, said that workers who do not have as much education and receive lower wages often have to deal with a number of problems if they lose their job, which includes losing the insurance they had and being put at the bottom of the spectrum for the whole labor market, especially since there are others with secondary education that may be more skilled than them. During the study, researchers made comparisons between the mortality rates of unemployed workers in both German and the United States. The mortality rates were also separated into groups based on workers with less education and those with higher education levels. The study showed that even though all unemployed workers had a higher risk of dying, the risk for those working in the United States was actually worse than it was for those living in Germany. Unemployed individuals in the United States were more likely to die than the employed individuals in both Germany and America.

The significance of the United States and Germany is the fact that both of these countries are known for having successful economies even though they both have separate policies when it comes down to employment. In Germany, there is a lot of employment protection for workers, along with unemployment protection which helps unemployed workers in Germany so that they can continue to receive health benefits even after losing their job. However, in the United States, the amount of protection available is not nearly as high as the amount of protection that is provided to employees in Germany. The study took a look at both Germany and United States but also points out that United States economy is very much similar to the economy in Canada. McLeod believes it is important for people to realize how employment and unemployment can actually have an effect on human health and well being. The kinds of policies provided to workers do, in fact, make a huge difference in their health and with the right kind of protection, they can add on a few years to their lives instead of taking some years off when they are not receiving any type of protection.