How do external changes in a community and internal reorganisation influence employees? A study of local health and labour administration services

The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of demands on professionals working in the health sector and the labour market administration when a major local company downsizes. Thirty semi-structured interviews were conducted in three municipalities with the downsizing of a cornerstone industry. The overall hypotheses, which were largely supported by the study and the existing literature in the field, were that downsizing and job insecurity affect the employees' physical and psychological health. Downsizing also had more indirect effects on the families and the community as a whole, as well as for the local services generally. The latter expected to be faced with an increase in work demands and workload affecting the service they give to their clients and their experience of health risks and low job satisfaction. Internal reorganisation to meet the demands seemed to have either multiplicative or additive effects depending on variations in the restructuring process.

Keywords: community, downsizing, health effects, job insecurity, organisational change, local services, health services, labour market administration, families