When Annika Härenstam, professor emeritus of occupational science at the University of Gothenburg, set out to identify the healthiest jobs in the early 1990s, she found something unexpected: the professions dominated by women — particularly in education and healthcare — came out on top.
Teaching and nursing were seen as stimulating, flexible, and built on strong working relationships among colleagues.
From Healthy to High-Risk Occupations
Three decades later, the picture looks very different. A recent report from the Social Insurance Agency highlights a troubling shift: welfare professions — especially in care and education — now show some of the highest rates of sickness absence in the workforce. Preschools and primary school support roles have both seen significant rises in absenteeism.
Short-term sick leave is still driven largely by physical ailments across most professions. But for long-term illness, the story has changed. Mental health problems — primarily stress-related — now account for over half of all cases.
The Weight of Inadequacy
Cathia Boquist started in healthcare in 1992 as an assistant nurse in elderly care. She is now a nurse at the kidney clinic at Norrland University Hospital in Umeå and an elected representative to the Swedish Health Confederation. She has watched the pressure build over the years and felt it herself. Even so, her attachment to the work hasn’t wavered.
“I love working in healthcare,” Cathia says. “If I had to choose again, I wouldn’t pick anything else.”
Two Key Explanations
Dr. Härenstam points to two main reasons working conditions in welfare professions have deteriorated: the adoption of corporate management practices, and the economic crisis of the 1990s, which brought widespread cutbacks.
In the video below, Annika Härenstam talks through how these professions went from among the healthiest to among the most precarious in the space of a generation.
Welfare professions don’t have to carry such a heavy burden of sick leave, Härenstam argues — but she is clear that meaningful change requires coordinated action across municipalities and regions, not piecemeal fixes.
In the accompanying video, Härenstam outlines three specific changes she believes are needed to improve workplace conditions and reduce stress.
