# Causally-informative analyses of the effect of job displacement on all-cause and specific-cause mortality from the 1990s Finnish recession until 2020: A population registry study of private sector employees

**Published:** 2025-02-27  
**Categories:** Academic Publications  
**URL:** https://www.etla.fi/en/publications/academic-publications/causally-informative-analyses-of-the-effect-of-job-displacement-on-all-cause-and-specific-cause-mortality-from-the-1990s-finnish-recession-until-2020-a-population-registry-study-of-private-sector-emp/

#### Abstract

**Background**: Job loss is related to morbidity and mortality, but generation of causal evidence is challenging due to confounding factors. Finland suffered a severe economic recession in the early 1990s with unemployment reaching almost 25%, with many job losses due to mass layoff or company closure. Such job displacements are assumed to be exogenous to the individual and create a natural experiment for causal inference.

**Methods and Findings:** We evaluate the causal relationship between job displacement and mortality using register data from Finland between 1988 and 2020 (N = 590,823 individuals \[43.3 % female\] aged 25–55 and securely employed by the private sector at baseline, N = 93,199 total deaths by 2020). Job displacement is associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality even after accounting for sex, age, marital status, and education (HR = 1.09 \[1.07, 1.11\]). Risks of death by suicide, violence, alcohol, accidents, and disease are higher for displaced individuals at all follow-up periods examined. Risks of death from cancer and ischaemic heart disease are higher for displaced individuals only in later follow up periods.

**Conclusions:** Our analyses support the causal influence of job displacement on all-cause and specific-cause mortality, even up to 30 years after the recession; this risk varies by cause of death and by length of followup. Future work should evaluate stress and substance use as potential pathways from job displacement to mortality.

*Social Science & Medicine 370 (2025) 117867.*

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## Additional Information

**Kirjoittajat:** Zellers, Stephanie - Azzi, Elissar - Latvala, Antti - Kaprio, Jaakko - Maczulskij, Terhi

**Publication Research:** No

**Kansikuva:** No

**Lataa Pdf:** No

**Paivays:** 27.02.2025

**Sivuja:** 8

**Kieli:** en

**Sarja:** Other articles

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.117867

**Saatavuus:** 2

Social Science & Medicine 370 (2025)