SVMC Community Health Needs Assessment 2021 - Catalog - Page 41
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worker effect”; namely, that those who are healthy enough to be employed are more likely to enter and
remain in the workforce, while those with health concerns are more likely to remain unemployed.42
Regardless of the exact mechanism by which employment influences health, it is an important factor to
consider when exploring the health needs of an entire community; a community’s economic health
depends in part upon the employment rate.
2020 Annual Unemployment Average
County
Bennington County
Windham County
Berkshire County
Washington County
Rensselaer County
Unemployment rate (percentage of
workers in labor force without
employment, actively looking for work)43
6.6%
6.3%
9.1%
7.2%
7.0%
State Unemployment Rate,
seasonally adjusted44
Vermont 5.6%
Massachusetts 8.9%
New York 10.0%
Survey Responses: Employment Status
(Respondents 25-64 Years Old)
n= 467
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Employed Self-Employed Unemployed
Student
Homemaker
Retired
42
Antonisse L and Garfield R. The Relationship Between Work and Health: Findings from a Literature Review. Kaiser Family
Foundation. Published August 7, 2018. https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/the-relationship-between-work-and-healthfindings-from-a-literature-review/
43 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics: Labor Force Data by County, 2020 Annual Averages.
https://www.bls.gov/lau/#cntyaa
44 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics: Unemployment Rates for States, 2020 Annual Averages.
https://www.bls.gov/lau/lastrk20.htm
Southwestern Vermont Medical Center
Community Health Needs Assessment 2021