A study of work and health transitions

To provide contextual evidence for the Government’s strategy for improving employment among disabled people or people with health conditions, this DWP study examines transitions (changes) in health and work status experienced by working- age people (16-64 years old). It uses a large-scale longitudinal survey, Understanding Society (USoc), to provide fresh empirical evidence on the complex relationship between health and work transitions, which is arguably under-explored.

More specifically, the analysis aims to explore:

• What impacts changes in health have on work outcomes and the extent to which those impacts vary by individual characteristics;
• The durations of health transitions (length of time in good or poor health) across different groups, and the individual characteristics affecting the probability of experiencing these transitions; and
• The patterns of people’s employment status and job satisfaction in the medium term following health transitions.

The research seeks to improve understanding of which types of people are most likely to experience deteriorations or improvements in health, and to identify factors which might mitigate the negative labour market consequences (or maximise the positive effects) of health shocks.

Read it here.