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The impact of acute health shocks on the labour supply of older workers: evidence from sixteen European countries

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  • Elisabetta Trevisan

    (Department of Economics and Management, University Of Venice C� Foscari)

  • Francesca Zantomio

    (Department of Economics, University Of Venice C� Foscari)

Abstract

We investigate the consequences of experiencing an acute health shock, namely the first onset of myocardial infarction, stroke or cancer, on the labour supply of older workers in Europe. Despite its policy relevance to social security sustainability, the question has not yet been empirically addressed in the European context. We combine data from the the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing and the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe and cover sixteen European countries, representative of different institutional settings, in the years spanning from 2002 to 2013. The empirical strategy builds on the availability of an extremely rich set of health and labour market information as well as of panel data. To remove the potential confounding bias, a selection on observables strategy is adopted, while the longitudinal dimension of data allows controlling for time invariant unobservables. Implementation is based on a combination of stratification and propensity score matching methods. Results reveal that experiencing an acute health shock on average doubles the risk of an older worker leaving the labour market, and is accompanied by a deterioration in physical functioning and mental health, as well as by a reduction in perceived life expectancy. Men�s labour market response appears driven by the onset of impairment acting as a barrier to work. In in the case of women, preferences for leisure and financial constraints seem to play a prominent role. Heterogeneity in behavioural responses across countries � with the largest labour supply reductions observed in the Nordic and Eastern countries, and England � are suggestive of a relevant role played by social security generosity.

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  • Elisabetta Trevisan & Francesca Zantomio, 2015. "The impact of acute health shocks on the labour supply of older workers: evidence from sixteen European countries," Working Papers 2015:27, Department of Economics, University of Venice "Ca' Foscari".
  • Handle: RePEc:ven:wpaper:2015:27
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    health shocks; labour supply; Europe; older workers; propensity score matching;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J18 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Public Policy
    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • C14 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Semiparametric and Nonparametric Methods: General

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