Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/231438 
Year of Publication: 
2021
Series/Report no.: 
GLO Discussion Paper No. 796
Publisher: 
Global Labor Organization (GLO), Essen
Abstract: 
This paper contributes to the literature on old employment barriers by exploring empirically the relative importance of mental v.s. physical health in determining work. It combines regression and variance decomposition analyses to quantify the respective role of mental v.s. physical health. The data used are from SHARE and inform in great detail on the health but also work status (i.e. employment and hours) of individuals aged 50+, interviewed between 2004 and 2017 in 21 European countries. The main result of the paper is that of the rather limited role of mental healthin comparison to physical healthin accounting for older individuals' work. The paper also shows that health (physical or mental) is much better at predicting old people's propensity to be in employment than the number of hours they work. Finally, the paper reveals that, in comparison to women, men's work is more driven by their health status.
Subjects: 
Ageing
Work
Mental v.s. Physical Health
Regressions and Variance Decomposition
JEL: 
J22
I10
J26
J14
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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