The Relationship Between Symptoms and Job Loss among Japanese Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Prospective Cohort Study

Objectives The aim of this study was to clarify which workers’ symptoms led to unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This was a prospective cohort study using questionnaires about COVID-19 administered to Japanese workers. A baseline survey conducted in December 2020 was used to determine workers’ health history. Unemployment since the baseline survey was ascertained with a follow-up survey in December 2021. The odds ratios (ORs) of unemployment were estimated using a multilevel logistic model with adjusted covariates nested in prefecture of residence. Results Males ( n = 8,682) accounted for 58.2% of the total sample ( n = 14,910), and the mean age was 48.2 years. Multivariate analysis showed that workers with “pain-related problems,” “limited physical movement and mobility,” “fatigue, loss of strength or appetite, fever, dizziness, and moodiness,” “mental health problems,” or “sleep” had a greater probability of resigning for health reasons, resigning for all reasons other than retirement, and being unemployed. Those with “skin, hair, and cosmetic concerns” or “eye-related matters” had a greater probability of becoming unemployed. Conclusions We identified an association between workers’ symptoms and resignation or unemployment, with different symptoms having different ORs. Furthermore, there were differences in the associations among the effects of symptoms, work dysfunction, resignation/unemployment, and attitudes of others. Preventive interventions to help workers resolve or improve their symptoms could prevent their becoming unemployed or resigning.