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The effect of job loss on health: Evidence from biomarkers

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  • Michaud, Pierre-Carl
  • Crimmins, Eileen M.
  • Hurd, Michael D.

Abstract

We estimate the effect of job loss on objective measures of physiological dysregulation using biomarker measures collected by the Health and Retirement Study in 2006 and 2008 and longitudinal self-reports of work status. We distinguish between group or individual layoffs, and business closures. Workers who are laid off from their job have lower health as measured by biomarker, whereas workers laid off in the context of a business closure do not. Estimates matching respondents wave-by-wave on self-reported health conditions and subjective job loss expectations prior to job loss, suggest strong effects of layoffs on biomarkers, in particular for glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c). A layoff could increase annual mortality rates by 10.3%, consistent with other evidence of the effect of group layoffs on mortality.

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  • Michaud, Pierre-Carl & Crimmins, Eileen M. & Hurd, Michael D., 2016. "The effect of job loss on health: Evidence from biomarkers," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 194-203.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:labeco:v:41:y:2016:i:c:p:194-203
    DOI: 10.1016/j.labeco.2016.05.014
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    7. Stefano Cellini & Livia Menezes & Martin Foureaux Koppensteiner, 2022. "Maternal Displacements during Pregnancy and the Health of Newborns," Discussion Papers 22-02, Department of Economics, University of Birmingham.
    8. Alan Piper & David G. Blanchflower & Alex Bryson, 2021. "Does Pain Lead to Job Loss? A Panel Study for Germany," DoQSS Working Papers 21-19, Quantitative Social Science - UCL Social Research Institute, University College London.
    9. Vodopivec, Matija & Laporsek, Suzana & Stare, Janez & Vodopivec, Milan, 2021. "The Effects of Unemployment on Health, Hospitalizations, and Mortality - Evidence from Administrative Data," IZA Discussion Papers 14318, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    10. Italo A. Gutierrez & Pierre-Carl Michaud, 2017. "Whistle While You Work: Job Insecurity and Older Workers’ Mental Health in the United States," CIRANO Working Papers 2017s-21, CIRANO.
    11. Rocco, Lorenzo & Crema, Angela & Simonato, Lorenzo & Cestari, Laura, 2018. "The effect of job loss on pharmaceutical prescriptions," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 217(C), pages 73-83.
    12. Devillanova, Carlo & Raitano, Michele & Struffolino, Emanuela, 2019. "Longitudinal employment trajectories and health in middle life: Insights from linked administrative and survey data," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, pages 1375-1412.
    13. Miele, Kai R., 2024. "Mental Health and Labor Market Effects of Anticipating Job Loss," CINCH Working Paper Series (since 2020) 82169, Duisburg-Essen University Library, DuEPublico.
    14. Richard K. Moussa & Eric Delattre, 2023. "Dynamics of interactions between health and employment statuses: a panel data approach," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 3(8), pages 1-26, August.
    15. Christos Zilidis & Christos Hadjichristodoulou, 2020. "Economic Crisis Impact and Social Determinants of Perinatal Outcomes and Infant Mortality in Greece," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-12, September.
    16. Matthew D. Baird & Jonathan Cantor & Wendy M. Troxel & Tamara Dubowitz, 2022. "Job loss and psychological distress during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Longitudinal Analysis from residents in nine predominantly African American low‐income neighborhoods," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(9), pages 1844-1861, September.
    17. Lee, Y-W.;, 2019. "Effects of Parental Job Loss and Insecurity on Children’s Health: Evidence from Korea," Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers 19/09, HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York.
    18. Alan Piper & David G. Blanchflower & Alex Bryson, 2023. "Is pain associated with subsequent job loss? A panel study for Germany," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 76(1), pages 141-158, February.
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    20. Yong‐Woo Lee, 2022. "How do changes to parental job insecurity affect children's health?," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 74(1), pages 5-24, January.
    21. Been, J.; & Suari-Andreu, E.; & Knoef, M.;, 2022. "The short-run effects of unexpected job loss on health," Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers 22/21, HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Job loss; Health; SES-health gradient; Biomarkers;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • J10 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - General
    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination

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