the severely disabled into working life than those who are not disabled. In all age groups the severely disabled remain unemployed for longer periods and do not have as many job opportunities as their peers who are not disabled.
Because available statistics do not differentiate between types of disability, this report refers to all of the severely disabled.
In Germany, the situation of the severely disabled in the labour market continues to worsen. The number of severely disabled people of working age is increasing and employment opportunities are limited. Consequently, there is a growing unemployment rate among people with disabilities. The gap between supply and demand of jobs for disabled persons is growing19. The actual number of disabled workers employed by employers in the private and public sectors who are obliged by law to employ disabled workers has decreased from 4.2% (1993) through 4.0% (1994 and 1995) down to 3,9% (1996). The rate of unemployment among the severely disabled has risen from 14.6% (1993), 15.0% (1994), 15.4% (1995), 16.1% (1996) up to 17.9% (1997).
Health and unemployment are related to one another in many ways. Partly due to company policy regarding hiring and dismissal of staff, people who are not perfectly healthy or whose working capacity is limited are more likely to be unemployed. They run a greater risk of being dismissed, remain unemployed for a longer than average period, and their chances of re-integration into working life are lower.
Job loss and long-term unemployment can lead to behaviour which damages health and can cause or exacerbate mental health problems resulting from the sufferer's relationship to society. The proportion of the unemployed suffering from health problems varied in West Germany between 19% (1985) and 28,7% (1992). In 1997 the figure was 25,3% of the total unemployed. In East Germany, the figure has risen from 10.0% in 1992 to 16.4% in 1997. Within these statistics, the blue-collar sector and the older and long-term unemployed predominate. They are the ones who find it most difficult to reintegrate into the labour market.
Financial disadvantage, and the need to drastically limit expenses or to enter into debt because of unemployment are important causes of psychosocial stress. In the 1930s, inadequate nutrition and poor living conditions had a serious impact on health. Today, in contrast, improved social security provisions prevent the unemployed from experiencing the full effects of poverty. Nevertheless, unemployment does carry the risk of poverty in Germany. If the economic situation of the unemployed continues to deteriorate, the situation which existed in the 1930s could gain new relevance.
The negative effects of unemployment vary according to age and work experience. Those who are unemployed in middle age (generally with dependants) are most vulnerable. Older people are less vulnerable because they take early retirement out of a sense of inevitability and resignation. The young who have never worked are also less vulnerable. However, if they are not given the chance to work, they miss out on opportunities for self-development, such as the transition from school to working life, which are usually beneficial to mental health.
In a society centred around work, employment represents the most important connection with social reality. In addition to providing an independent living, earning money fulfils many other decisive psychological functions such as:
* Provision of social contacts outside the immediate social circle
* Pursuit of common goals
* Acquisition or use of skills
* Fixed time structure
