Presentation (CTI)

OBJECTIVES: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) may affect both the quantity and quality of the labour force, with consequences on economic growth. This study examines the impact of NCDs on employment status, i.e., the ability of Europeans to work beyond middle age. We further explore the modifying role of educational level and country early retirement benefits programs.
METHODS: We used longitudinal data (N=9645) from the sixth and seventh waves of the SHARE project. We modelled the probability to change employment status from different pathways as a function of having one NCD or two or more NCDs, adjusting for age, gender, marital status, working conditions, educational level, and country, using multinominal logistic regressions.
RESULTS: The fully-adjusted model showed that having one NCD was significantly associated with transition to disability pensioner (OR= 1.76 (95%CI 1.75-1.77)) and homemaker (OR=2.12 (95%CI 2.11-2.13)). Moreover, individuals with two or more NCDs had a higher likelihood of becoming disability pensioners (OR=3.16, 95% CI (3.15-3.18)) and of transitioning to homemaker (OR=2.50, 95% CI (2.49-2.51)). The impact of having two or more NCDs on employment status until the standard retirement age was higher among highly educated individuals and those in countries offering early retirement benefits programs.
CONCLUSIONS: Suffering from NCDs is related to early exit employment, to a higher extent in countries with early retirement benefits programs. These finding question the ability of the labor market to promote integration and retention strategies for people with NCDs, while reinforcing evidence on health conditions’ economic impact.