More than 3,000 Australians die by suicide each year, but unemployment and financial insecurity remain under-recognised in many suicide prevention efforts, according to new research from Adelaide University.
A two-year study has found that Australia is unlikely to achieve meaningful reductions in suicide rates without addressing broader social and economic factors such as unemployment, insecure work, poverty, housing stress and financial hardship.
Funded by the Medical Research Future Fund’s Million Minds Mental Health Research Mission, the Work and Unemployment: Vital to Effective Suicide Prevention project examined how government policy, employers, healthcare professionals, social security systems and suicide prevention networks can help reduce suicide risk.
The findings come as the Australian Government continues reforms to the JobSeeker system and broader employment services.
Adelaide University Chief Investigator Associate Professor Toby Freeman said employment and unemployment have a major influence on suicide risk but are often overlooked in policy responses.
“Work and unemployment are among the most important social determinants of suicide, yet they remain largely overlooked in suicide prevention,” Associate Professor Freeman said.
The research found that aspects of Australia’s welfare system may contribute to financial stress and psychological distress for some people.
“Our research indicates that key aspects of Australia’s welfare system, including low support payments, mutual obligations and punitive approaches to employment services, can increase financial hardship, social exclusion and psychological distress, all of which are associated with elevated suicide risk.
“We also found workplace factors such as job insecurity, psychosocial hazards, poor working conditions and power imbalances can contribute to suicidal distress, despite often being overlooked in suicide prevention efforts.”
The study drew on reviews of existing evidence, analysis of employment, social security and health policies, suicide coronial data, and interviews with policymakers, employers and suicide prevention stakeholders across Australia.
Researchers argue that responses to suicide often focus on individual treatment while paying insufficient attention to the circumstances that may be contributing to distress.
“Too often, responses to suicide risk focus on the individual while overlooking the social and economic circumstances that may be contributing to that distress,” Associate Professor Freeman said.
“If someone is struggling because they’ve lost their job, can’t afford housing or are facing severe financial hardship, medication alone will not address the underlying causes of their distress.
“And while mental health services are critically important, factors such as poverty, unemployment, financial insecurity, housing stress and poor working conditions can profoundly affect a person’s wellbeing and suicide risk.”
Data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows people receiving unemployment payments are 2.8 times more likely to die by suicide than the broader population. More than 600 unemployed Australians die by suicide each year.
The report also identified what researchers describe as a gap between suicide prevention strategies and employment policy.
“There’s also a disconnect in government policy. While suicide prevention strategies increasingly recognise the importance of social and economic factors, employment and social security policies often fail to consider their potential impact on suicide risk,” Associate Professor Freeman said.
The study highlighted the work of local Suicide Prevention Networks, which researchers say are helping communities respond to distress but often lack recognition and support.
“Beyond government and workplaces, we found that local Suicide Prevention Networks are making an important contribution in communities across Australia, but their role in addressing the social determinants of distress remains under-recognised and under-supported,” he said.
Among the report’s recommendations are raising JobSeeker payments to what researchers describe as a liveable level, replacing punitive employment requirements with more supportive services, improving workplace conditions, strengthening community-based suicide prevention networks, and ensuring employment programs in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are co-designed with local people.
Researchers are also calling for closer collaboration between governments, employers, health services and community organisations, alongside greater recognition of employment-related risk factors within suicide prevention policy.
“If we are serious about reducing suicide in Australia, we need to move beyond treating distress and place greater emphasis on addressing the conditions that place people at risk in the first place,” Associate Professor Freeman said.
“We cannot treat our way out of this problem. Reducing suicide in Australia requires action long before people reach crisis point.
“Greater attention must be paid to the role that unemployment, insecure work, financial insecurity and social exclusion play in people’s lives.
“If we continue to overlook these factors, we will continue to miss opportunities to prevent suicide and save lives.”
Support Independent Community Journalism
Dear Reader,The Indian Sun exists for one reason: to tell stories that might otherwise go unheard.
We report on local councils, state politics, small businesses and cultural festivals. We focus on the Indian diaspora and the wider multicultural community with care, balance and accountability. We publish in print and online, send regular newsletters and produce video content. We also run media training programs to help community organisations share their own stories.
We operate independently.
Community journalism does not have the backing of large media corporations. Advertising revenue fluctuates. Platform algorithms change. Costs continue to rise. Yet the need for credible, grounded reporting in a multicultural Australia has never been greater.
When you support The Indian Sun, you support:
• Independent reporting on issues affecting migrant communities
• Coverage of local and state decisions that shape daily life
• A platform for small businesses and community groups
• Media training that builds skills within the community
• Journalism accountable to readers
We cannot cover everything, but we work to cover what matters.
If you value thoughtful reporting that reflects Australia’s diversity, we invite you to contribute. Every donation helps us maintain the quality and consistency of our work.
Please consider making a contribution today.
Thank you for your support.
The Indian Sun Team
