Job Loss

Job loss is defined as the unplanned termination of employment. This may occur when an employee is terminated for cause due to perceptions of inappropriate behavior, when jobs are eliminated due to restructuring or downsizing on the part of the employer or a business closure, or when a person must resign in order to accompany a significant other in a geographical move. Job loss results in the concurrent negative effects of income loss and family stress. Family adjustment to these effects is correlated with physical and mental health, academic or professional performance, and long-term earning potential for all members of the family. This entry discusses the effects of job loss on the individual, external responses to the individual, and the family system. The entry concludes ...