Employment
This section provides information about pharmaceutical drug use and employment. Differences in use patterns between employed and unemployed Australians, as well as those not in the labour force, are examined.
This section uses data from the 2019 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2020). The NDSHS is a triennial general population survey of Australians' awareness, attitudes, and behaviours relating to alcohol and other drug use. It is one of the best data sources available to provide a national population employment profile of Australians’ patterns of pharmaceutical drug use.
To ensure consistency with the source data, this section of the NADK includes the following pharmaceutical drugs:
- Pain-killers/pain-relievers/opioids
- Tranquillisers/sleeping pills
- Methadone/buprenorphine.
Not all of these drugs are included in each FAQ, due to small numbers of people using some drug types, and limitations of the dataset. Footnotes have been provided in each FAQ to identify exactly which drugs are referred to and how they have been defined according to the NDSHS.
What negative consequences does pharmaceutical drug use have for Australian workplaces?
The use of pharmaceutical drugs for medical or non-medical purposes is associated with a range of negative outcomes for the workplace, including accidents, injuries, absenteeism and low productivity. This risk may be increased if pharmaceutical drugs are used by employees whose work role requires abstinence from specific pharmaceutical drugs (for instance, prescription drugs which specify that driving or operating heavy machinery should be avoided when under their influence).
Use of pharmaceutical drugs can:
- impair psychomotor functioning
- impair cognitive functioning
- weaken the immune system
- impair driving ability
- increase risk of fractures
- dysregulate mood.
These effects can last between two and 72 hours and can negatively affect workplace safety, performance and productivity. Employees who use pharmaceutical drugs may present a potential danger at work, especially if the user is operating machinery or driving a vehicle.
In 2015/16, the cost to Australian businesses due to non-medical pharmaceutical drug related occupational injury and absenteeism was estimated at $459 million.
Source: McEntee A, Roche A, Whetton S. Chapter 6: Workplace costs. In: Tait RJ, Allsop, S. (Eds.). Quantifying the Social Costs of Pharmaceutical Opioid Misuse & Illicit Opioid Use to Australia in 2015/16. Perth, WA: National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University; 2020.
Non-medical use: A drug used:
- By itself to induce a drug experience or feeling; or
- With other drugs in order to enhance a drug experience.
† This FAQ uses data from a report that incorporated data from two sources. One source examined costs due to occupational injuries sustained due to the medical and non-medical use of opioids (undefined). The second source utilised the National Drug Strategy Household Survey to determine costs associated with injury/illness and drug-specific absenteeism due to the non-medical use of opioids (defined as pain-killers/pain-relievers/opioids (oxycodone, morphine, codeine products such as panadeine forte (excluding paracetamol, asprin and ibuprofen where these drugs are the only active ingredients)), and heroin).
Is the employment status of Australians related to non-medical pharmaceutical drug use in the past 12 months?
Australians who are not in the labour force are less likely to have used pharmaceutical drugs† for non-medical purposes in the past 12 months than Australians who are employed or unemployed.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 2019 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NCETA secondary analysis, 2021).
† This FAQ uses data from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey, which defines the pharmaceutical drugs referred to in this question as: the non-medical use of pain-killers/pain-relievers/opioids (oxycodone, morphine, codeine products such as panadeine forte (excluding paracetamol, asprin and ibuprofen where these drugs are the only active ingredients)), tranquillisers/sleeping pills (e.g., sleepers, benzos, tranks, temazzies, temaze, rivotril, serepax, serries, xanax, xannies, stilnox, rohypnol, rowies, valium) and methadone/buprenorphine (e.g., done, junk, jungle juice, bupe, sub).
* Estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution.
** Estimate has a relative standard error greater than 50% and is considered too unreliable for general use.
Employed: Self-employed or working for salary or wages.
Employment Status: Whether an individual is currently: a) employed; b) unemployed; or c) not in the labour force.
Non-medical use: A drug used:
- By itself to induce a drug experience or feeling; or
- With other drugs in order to enhance a drug experience.
Not in the Labour Force: Engaged in home duties, volunteer/charity work, student, retiree/pensioner, other.
Unemployed: Those who are not currently working and are actively seeking employment.
Are employed men or employed women in Australia more likely to have used pharmaceutical drugs for non-medical purposes in the past 12 months?
Similar proportions of employed Australian men and women have used pharmaceutical drugs for non-medical purposes in the past 12 months.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 2019 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NCETA secondary analysis, 2021).
† This FAQ uses data from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey, which defines the pharmaceutical drugs referred to in this question as: the non-medical use of pain-killers/pain-relievers/opioids (oxycodone, morphine, codeine products such as panadeine forte (excluding paracetamol, asprin and ibuprofen where these drugs are the only active ingredients)), tranquillisers/sleeping pills (e.g., sleepers, benzos, tranks, temazzies, temaze, rivotril, serepax, serries, xanax, xannies, stilnox, rohypnol, rowies, valium) and methadone/buprenorphine (e.g., done, junk, jungle juice, bupe, sub).
* Estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution.
Employed: Self-employed or working for salary or wages.
Non-medical use: A drug used:
- By itself to induce a drug experience or feeling; or
- With other drugs in order to enhance a drug experience.
Are younger or older Australian employees more likely to have used pharmaceutical drugs for non-medical purposes in the past 12 months?
Employed Australians aged 18-24 years tend to use pharmaceutical drugs† for non-medical purposes more often than other age groups.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 2019 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NCETA secondary analysis, 2021).
† This FAQ uses data from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey, which defines the pharmaceutical drugs referred to in this question as: the non-medical use of pain-killers/pain-relievers/opioids (oxycodone, morphine, codeine products such as panadeine forte (excluding paracetamol, asprin and ibuprofen where these drugs are the only active ingredients)), tranquillisers/sleeping pills (e.g., sleepers, benzos, tranks, temazzies, temaze, rivotril, serepax, serries, xanax, xannies, stilnox, rohypnol, rowies, valium) and methadone/buprenorphine (e.g., done, junk, jungle juice, bupe, sub).
* Estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution.
** Estimate has a relative standard error greater than 50% and is considered too unreliable for general use.
Employed: Self-employed or working for salary or wages.
Non-medical use: A drug used:
- By itself to induce a drug experience or feeling; or
- With other drugs in order to enhance a drug experience.
Are unemployed men or women in Australian more likely to have used pharmaceutical drugs for non-medical purposes in the past 12 months?
Unemployed men and women in Australia are equally likely to have used pharmaceutical drugs† for non-medical purposes in the past 12 months.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 2019 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NCETA secondary analysis, 2021).
† This FAQ uses data from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey, which defines the pharmaceutical drugs referred to in this question as: the non-medical use of pain-killers/pain-relievers/opioids (oxycodone, morphine, codeine products such as panadeine forte (excluding paracetamol, asprin and ibuprofen where these drugs are the only active ingredients)), tranquillisers/sleeping pills (e.g., sleepers, benzos, tranks, temazzies, temaze, rivotril, serepax, serries, xanax, xannies, stilnox, rohypnol, rowies, valium) and methadone/buprenorphine (e.g., done, junk, jungle juice, bupe, sub).
* Estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution.
** Estimate has a relative standard error greater than 50% and is considered too unreliable for general use.
Non-medical use: Drugs used:
- By itself to induce a drug experience or feeling; or
- With other drugs in order to enhance a drug experience.
Unemployed: Those who are not currently working and are actively seeking employment.
Among those not in the labour force, are men or women in Australia more likely to have used pharmaceutical drugs for non-medical purposes in the past 12 months?
Similar proportions of Australian men and women who are not in the labour force have used pharmaceutical drugs† for non-medical purposes in the past 12 months.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 2019 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NCETA secondary analysis, 2021).
† This FAQ uses data from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey, which defines the pharmaceutical drugs referred to in this question as: the non-medical use of pain-killers/pain-relievers/opioids (oxycodone, morphine, codeine products such as panadeine forte (excluding paracetamol, asprin and ibuprofen where these drugs are the only active ingredients)), tranquillisers/sleeping pills (e.g., sleepers, benzos, tranks, temazzies, temaze, rivotril, serepax, serries, xanax, xannies, stilnox, rohypnol, rowies, valium) and methadone/buprenorphine (e.g., done, junk, jungle juice, bupe, sub).
** Estimate has a relative standard error greater than 50% and is considered too unreliable for general use.
Non-medical use: Drugs used:
- By itself to induce a drug experience or feeling; or
- With other drugs in order to enhance a drug experience.
Not in the Labour Force: Engaged in home duties, volunteer/charity work, student, retiree/pensioner, other.