Job loss is bad for your health - Swedish evidence on cause-specific hospitalization following involuntary job loss.
This paper examines the impact of job loss on a number of non-fatal health events, which are nonetheless severe enough to require hospital in-patient care. We focus on job loss due only to establishment closures, as this reduces the problem of distinguishing between causation and selection. Using linked employee-employer register data, we identify the job losses due to all establishment closures in Sweden in 1987 or 1988. During a subsequent 12-year period, we find that job loss significantly increases the risk of hospitalization due to alcohol-related conditions, among both men and women, and due to traffic accidents and self-harm, among men only. We find no evidence, however, that job loss increased the risk of severe cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction or stroke.
Eliason
Marcus
M
The Institute for Labour Market Policy Evaluation, Uppsala 751 20, Sweden. marcus.eliason@ifau.uu.se
Storrie
Donald
D
D000328:Adult; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D014478:Unemployment / Q000523:psychology*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology