| Abstract: |
Overemployment – working more hours than desired – affects nearly one-third of
European workers, yet its consequences remain understudied. Using data from
the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP, 1984-2019, N = 43, 570) and individual
fixed-effects models with leads and lags, we examine whether overemployment is
associated with a deterioration in wellbeing and health, and whether potential
adverse impacts persist as long as the overemployment state continues or
whether people get used to working long hours. We find that overemployment is
associated with a substantial decline in mental health, with impacts that
intensify rather than attenuate over time. Specifically, the SF-12 mental
health summary scale declines by 0.44 points in the first year of
overemployment, deepening to between 0.80 and 1.13 points (8–11% of a standard
deviation) thereafter. We obtain similar results for work, leisure time,
health, and overall life satisfaction. Meanwhile, the association between
overemployment and physical health is smaller and less consistent. Our
findings suggest that overemployment may lead to an increased risk of
persistent symptoms of poor mental health and low wellbeing, with implications
for working time regulations and workplace wellbeing and health policies. |