Previous studies had found a link between smoking and unemployment in both the United States and Europe, with unemployed people about twice as likely to be smokers, but the researchers set out to determine if smokers had more trouble finding and keeping a job or if people who lost their job experienced stress which prompted them to start smoking.
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Though the research did not look at the possible reasons why smokers may be less likely to find work, Prochaska has some ideas. However, only 27 percent of the smokers had found a job, and they earned $5 less per hour on average than the nonsmokers.
The study also found smokers who did find work averaged five dollars less per hour than non-smokers. A new study finds smokers also fare worse on the job market.
But it has not been clear if smoking is the cause or the result of unemployment.
The Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP), admisnistered by the University of California, funds research that enhances understanding of tobacco use, prevention and cessation, the social, economic and policy-related aspects of tobacco use, and tobacco-related diseases in California. After a year of job hunting, 56% of the 120 surveyed nonsmokers had found jobs.
“The health harms of smoking have been established for decades”, Judith Prochaska, associate professor at the Stanford University, who led the study, said in a statement.
The study published in JAMA Internal Medicine used survey questions and a breath test for carbon monoxide levels to classify job seekers into either daily smokers or non-smokers.
According to the study authors, more than 20 states allow employers to not hire smokers.
If these are not enough reasons to quit smoking, the new study adds further incentive. Among their findings, the authors reported that smokers were younger, less educated and more likely to be unstably housed, in poorer health and to possess a criminal record than non-smokers.
‘Our study provides insight into the financial harms in terms of lower re-employment success and lower wages’.
After controlling for these variables, the re-employment rate of smokers was still 24 percent lower than that of nonsmokers.
“At 12-month follow-up 60 of 108 nonsmokers (55.6 percent) were reemployed compared with 29 of 109 smokers (26.6 percent)”, the team wrote. When the smokers were asked about their spending priorities tobacco was placed above outgoings including transport funds, mobile phone and grooming care – such as getting a haircut.
If you’re a smoker, your habit may be burning your job prospects.
“We have a sister study in process to examine implicit and explicit bias toward smokers among hiring managers and practices around screening for smoking”, Prochaska said by email. This time, in a randomized controlled trial, they are testing whether a smoking intervention increases the chances of finding a job among unemployed smokers. If those who quit smoking have an easier time getting hired than those who don’t quit, the researchers may have the evidence needed to conclude that smoking does indeed impair the job search.
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But quitting smoking is hard, and job seekers may not see the connection between smoking and job hunting.
