Occupational Status and Health Transitions

G. Brant Morefield, David Ribar () and Christopher Ruhm

No 5482, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: We use longitudinal data from the 1984 through 2007 waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to examine how occupational status is related to the health transitions of 30 to 59 year-old U.S. males. A recent history of blue-collar employment predicts a substantial increase in the probability of transitioning from very good into bad self-assessed health, relative to white-collar employment, but with no evidence of occupational differences in movements from bad to very good health. These findings are robust to a series of sensitivity analyses. The results suggest that blue-collar workers "wear out" faster with age because they are more likely, than their white-collar counterparts, to experience negative health shocks. This partly reflects differences in the physical demands of blue-collar and white-collar jobs.

Keywords: occupations; physical demands; health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I12 J24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 32 pages
Date: 2011-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea and nep-lab
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (16)

Published - published in: B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy: Topics in Economic Analysis and Policy, 2011, 11 (3), Article 8

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Related works:
Journal Article: Occupational Status and Health Transitions (2012)
Working Paper: Occupational Status and Health Transitions (2011)
Working Paper: Occupational Status and Health Transitions (2011)
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