Research Article

Unemployment and self-assessed health: evidence from panel data

  1. Petri Böckerman1,*,
  2. Pekka Ilmakunnas2

Article first published online: 5 JUN 2008

DOI: 10.1002/hec.1361

Issue

Health Economics

Health Economics

Volume 18, Issue 2, pages 161–179, February 2009

Additional Information

How to Cite

Böckerman, P. and Ilmakunnas, P. (2009), Unemployment and self-assessed health: evidence from panel data. Health Economics, 18: 161–179. doi: 10.1002/hec.1361

Author Information

  1. 1

    Labour Institute for Economic Research, Helsinki, Finland

  2. 2

    Helsinki School of Economics and HECER, Helsinki, Finland

*Labour Institute for Economic Research, Pitkänsillanranta 3A, 6th floor, FI-00530 Helsinki, Finland

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 6 JAN 2009
  2. Article first published online: 5 JUN 2008
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 19 MAR 2008
  4. Manuscript Revised: 14 MAR 2008
  5. Manuscript Received: 21 AUG 2007

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Keywords:

  • unemployment;
  • well-being;
  • self-assessed health;
  • panel data;
  • ECHP

Abstract

We examine the relationship between unemployment and self-assessed health using the European Community Household Panel for Finland over the period 1996–2001. Our results show that the event of becoming unemployed does not matter as such for self-assessed health. The health status of those that end up being unemployed is lower than that of the continually employed. Therefore, persons who have poor health are being selected for the pool of the unemployed. This explains why, in a cross-section, unemployment is associated with poor self-assessed health. All in all, the cross-sectional negative relationship between unemployment and self-assessed health is not found longitudinally. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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