California absorbed nearly 70 percent of the national base closure personnel reductions in recent defense cutbacks. Base closures and job losses in defense-related industries, along with upheavals in the Silicon Valley computer industry, have pushed hundreds of thousands of workers into the ranks of the unemployed. Furthermore, the effects of these changes are expected to persist for the next several years. The California Wellness Foundation identified job loss and unemployment as a major issue confronting Californians and affecting their health. The loss of employment can lead to a chain of consequences that affect the health and well-being of workers and their families.
Some unemployed workers lose financial stability and resources, social support and status.
These workers often remain unemployed for long periods, and when they finally become reemployed, their new jobs frequently pay less than those they lost. As a result, they may suffer from high levels of anxiety and depression, become more at risk of practicing adverse health behaviors such as alcohol and tobacco consumption, and thus, increase their risk of disease and mortality. Job search skills become even more important as job change becomes more frequent. Even more so than in the past, today's workers in California and elsewhere cannot expect to have a single career with a single company, but instead will experience multiple career changes in which job transitions occur frequently. Job search skills will need to become part of a repertoire of career transition skills that all workers possess.