ANU study highlights job security and safety anxieties

A study from the Australian National University (ANU) has found that two-thirds of Australians feel anxious or worried about their own and others’ safety, with more than 600,000 having lost their jobs due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Almost four in ten people also say they feel it is either very likely or likely that they will be infected with COVID-19 in the next six months. The study is the first longitudinal examination of the social, mental, economic and political impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak. It assesses people’s attitudes and experiences of COVID-19 before and during the pandemic. Researchers say the findings paint a picture of hardship and distress, but also resilience. Co-author Professor Nicholas Biddle said Australians were also feeling extremely anxious about job security.

Job security

“Australians’ perceived levels of job insecurity are very high,” Professor Biddle said. “One in four employed Australians think it is probable they will lose their jobs in the next 12 months, which is almost twice as high as it has ever been over that period since 2001. Over one in four employed Australians assess the likelihood that they will lose their job over the next 12 months as being more than 50%.” The study also found that employment fell from 62.0% in February to 58.9% in April 2020, indicating a decrease in employment of about 670,000 people. “This is unprecedented in modern Australian economic history,” Professor Matthew Gray said. “Declines in employment are largest for those aged 18–24 years with a relatively large fall in employment also among those aged 65 years or older.”

The study also revealed a decline in people’s working hours, from 35.1 to 31.1 hours per week between February and April 2020. The largest declines in hours worked were experienced by women and those born in non-English-speaking countries. “If previous periods of high unemployment are any guide, the effect on the young is likely to be felt throughout their working life, and those who leave the labour force when close to retirement age may never return. We also found that the total loss to annual household income is $102 billion,” Professor Gray said. The average household after-tax weekly income between February and April also fell 9.1%; however, the drops in per person income were larger, as household size increased and incomes needed to be spread over a greater number of people.

Per person income fell by 10.4%, or $740 per person per week in February to $663 per week in April. The study also revealed larger declines in income for 18- to 24-year-olds, while there were smaller declines for those who lived in the most advantaged neighbourhoods. “One of the most important findings from our research is that incomes have increased by 33.5%, from $160 to $213, for Australians at the very bottom of the income distribution. This is probably due to the economic hardship measures the government has put in place in the face of the pandemic,” Professor Gray said.

Mental health and wellbeing

The toll of COVID-19 on Australians’ mental health and wellbeing is also outlined, with the researchers estimating that the average change in life satisfaction observed in the data is equivalent to losing $581 per week. Researchers also noted an increase in psychological distress from 8.4% to 10.6% in those with a probable serious mental illness. However, the findings were not all negative, with Australians enjoying a greater sense of social trust because of the panic, a large majority observing social distancing and other directives to help stop transmission and the federal government enjoying gains in popularity.

“There were big increases in Australians’ confidence in the federal government, in state and territory governments and the public service. Between January and April 2020 the proportion of Australians who are confident or very confident in the federal government increased from 27.3% to 56.6%, in the public service from 48.8% to 64.8% and state/territory governments increased from 40.4% to 66.7%,” Professor Gray said. The ANU study surveyed a representative sample of more than 3100 Australians in April 2020 and compared answers from the same group provided in January and February 2020.

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