Existential worries make Slovenes sick

According to a study by the EU, the Slovenes are the people of Europe who most often take sick leave. That is due to poor working conditions and workers' fears for their livelihood, writes sociologist Urban Vehovar in the business paper Finance: "It was never possible for Slovenian farmers and workers to get by on a single job. They have always had to secure additional sources of income by taking on seasonal work or by working in forestry or mining. ... The problem with this survival strategy is that it is very hard on the body and the mind. At the same time it incurs high social costs. The number of cases of illness will only decrease when existential hardships cease to influence people's way of living. And that can only happen with a change in the current model."

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