Higher rates of death in lowest skilled jobs

Doctors, business professionals and vets fare better than factory workers

Factory hands, construction workers and cleaners in Scotland are three times more likely to die prematurely than doctors, dentists, teachers and business professionals, according to a new study.

The research, by Glasgow University and published in The Lancet Public Health, is the first study to rank mortality rates by occupation in the UK in 30 years, and looked at records from 1991 to 2011.

It found more than three-fold differences in mortality rates by occupation, with unemployed men and women faring the worst.

Researchers also compared differences in mortality rates between Scotland and the rest of the UK, revealing that higher rates of death in Scotland were concentrated in the lowest skilled occupations.

Public health doctor and clinical senior research fellow Dr Vittal Katikireddi said yesterday: “Our results show that there were very large differences in death rates by occupation, with professional occupations such as doctors and teachers faring far better than factory workers and garment trade workers.

“We studied trends over a 20-year period where we found that in most occupations mortality rates have fallen. However, in some they have remained stagnant and for women in some occupational groups, such as cleaners, mortality rates have even increased.”

The study found that men who were health professionals – doctors, vets, dentists, psychologists, pharmacists and even opticians – had the lowest mortality rates. Among women, teachers and business professionals had the lowest mortality.