The Role of Unpaid Work in Measuring the Social Costs of Disease
Author(s)
Michal Seweryn, PhD1, JOANNA AUGUSTYNSKA, MSc2, Karolina Skóra, MPH, MSc2, Malgorzata Budasz Swiderska, PhD3.
1Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University, Kraków, Poland, 2EconMed Europe, Kraków, Poland, 3Roche Polska, Warsaw, Poland.
1Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University, Kraków, Poland, 2EconMed Europe, Kraków, Poland, 3Roche Polska, Warsaw, Poland.
OBJECTIVES: Unpaid care and domestic work account for as much as 9 percent of global GDP (USD 11 trillion), according to estimates by the International Labour Organization (ILO). Despite this, unpaid work is rarely incorporated into burden of disease analyses measuring social costs. The aim of this study was to demonstrate how the value of unpaid work influences the social costs on the example of lung cancer in Poland.
METHODS: The number of hours dedicated to unpaid work was estimated using data from the 2023 report on daily time use published by Statistics Poland. We estimated presenteeism for unpaid work based on a survey conducted with 120 lung cancer patients in Poland. To calculate the monetary value of unpaid work, we used the minimum hourly wage in Poland for 2023, which was PLN 22.80 (EUR 5.02). The exchange rate from the National Bank of Poland (NBP) for 2023, which was 4.54 PLN per 1 Euro, was used for cost calculations. A correction factor (β) of 0.65, in line with the methodological guidelines adopted in Poland, was applied to the average GDP per employed person to reflect marginal labor productivity.
RESULTS: Unpaid work resulted in a total productivity loss cost of PLN 514.4 million (EUR 113.3 million), which represents over 25% of the total indirect costs, amounting to PLN 2.03 billion (EUR 447.14 million) from other factors, such as absenteeism, premature mortality, and presenteeism.
CONCLUSIONS: The value of unpaid work plays a significant role in determining the social costs and burden of disease, as demonstrated in the case of lung cancer in Poland. This factor should not be overlooked in burden of disease analyses measuring social costs.
METHODS: The number of hours dedicated to unpaid work was estimated using data from the 2023 report on daily time use published by Statistics Poland. We estimated presenteeism for unpaid work based on a survey conducted with 120 lung cancer patients in Poland. To calculate the monetary value of unpaid work, we used the minimum hourly wage in Poland for 2023, which was PLN 22.80 (EUR 5.02). The exchange rate from the National Bank of Poland (NBP) for 2023, which was 4.54 PLN per 1 Euro, was used for cost calculations. A correction factor (β) of 0.65, in line with the methodological guidelines adopted in Poland, was applied to the average GDP per employed person to reflect marginal labor productivity.
RESULTS: Unpaid work resulted in a total productivity loss cost of PLN 514.4 million (EUR 113.3 million), which represents over 25% of the total indirect costs, amounting to PLN 2.03 billion (EUR 447.14 million) from other factors, such as absenteeism, premature mortality, and presenteeism.
CONCLUSIONS: The value of unpaid work plays a significant role in determining the social costs and burden of disease, as demonstrated in the case of lung cancer in Poland. This factor should not be overlooked in burden of disease analyses measuring social costs.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2025-11, ISPOR Europe 2025, Glasgow, Scotland
Value in Health, Volume 28, Issue S2
Code
EE722
Topic
Economic Evaluation, Health Policy & Regulatory, Health Technology Assessment
Topic Subcategory
Cost/Cost of Illness/Resource Use Studies, Novel & Social Elements of Value, Work & Home Productivity - Indirect Costs
Disease
No Additional Disease & Conditions/Specialized Treatment Areas