LONDON, Jan 17: Workers who survive downsizing measures and hold on to their jobs may consider themselves lucky but they have a higher risk of suffering from mental health problems, Finnish scientists said on tommorrow .

After studying the impact of downsizing on municipal employees they found men who kept their jobs were 50 percent more likely to be given a prescription for an antidepressant or sleeping pill than people where there had been no enforced layoffs.

“This quasi-experimental outcome study of 26,653 city employees suggests that downsizing is a mental health risk, not only for employees who lose their jobs, but also for those who remain in employment,” said Professor Mika Kivimaki, of University College London.—Reuters