To prospectively examine the association between the duration of unemployment among job seekers and changes in alcohol use in a year.

A prospective study.

French population-based CONSTANCES cohort.

We selected 84 943 participants from the CONSTANCES cohort included between 2012 and 2019 who, at baseline and 1-year follow-up, were either employed or job-seeking.

Multinomial logistic regression models computed the odds of reporting continuous no alcohol use, at-risk alcohol use, increased or decreased alcohol use compared with being continuously at low risk and according to employment status. The duration of unemployment was self-reported at baseline; thus, the employment status at 1-year follow-up was categorised as follows: (1) employed, (2) return to employment since less than a year, (3) unemployed for less than 1 year, (4) unemployed for 1 to 3 years and (5) unemployed for 3 years or more. Analyses were adjusted for age, gender, education, household monthly income, marital status, self-rated health, smoking status and depressive state.

Compared with being continuously at low risk (ie, ≤10 drinks per week), the unemployment categories were associated in a dose-dependent manner with an increased likelihood of reporting continuous no alcohol use (OR: 1.74–2.50), being continuously at-risk (OR: 1.21–1.83), experiencing an increase in alcohol use (OR: 1.21–1.51) and a decrease in alcohol use (OR: 1.17–1.84).

Although our results suggested an association between the duration of unemployment and a decrease in alcohol use, they also revealed associations between at-risk and increased alcohol use. Thus, screening for alcohol use among unemployed job seekers must be reinforced, especially among those with long-term unemployment.