Abstract
Based on the data collected from the National Bureau of Statistics of China, this study examines the associations of health and socio-economic-demographic-related factors with labor force participation in urban mature Chinese aged 40–59 years. We found that that people with self-perceived ill-health were 34 % more likely to retired early than those who self-rated as healthy. The self-assessed ill-health were found to be 105 % more likely to be unemployed than the healthy. Self-reported ill-health was 28 % more likely to be homemakers than healthy people, although the odds ratios between the two groups were not significantly different statistically. Remarkably different from what has been observed in the developed countries, obesity did not have a notable impact on retirement of Chinese urban residents from labor force. Other factors that significantly contribute to the increased probability of being out of labor force were gender (female had high odds ratio for being out of labor force), education level (the lower the education level, the higher the odds ratios), as well as age (older people were more likely to be out of labor force).
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alavinia SM, Burdorf A (2008) Unemployment and retirement and Ill-health: a cross-sectional analysis across European countries. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 82:39–45
Bambra C, Eikemo TA (2009) Welfare state regimes, unemployment and health: a comparative study of the relationship between unemployment and self-reported health in 23 European countries. J Epidemiol Community Health 63:92–98
Berg T, Schuring M, Avendano M (2010) The impact of ill health on exit from paid employment in Europe among older workers. Occup Environ Med 67:845–852
Cai L, Kalb G (2006) Health status and labor force participation: evidence from Australia. Health Econ 15:241–261
Chen GF, Hamori S (2009) Solution to the dilemma of the migrant labor shortage and the rural labor surplus in China. China World Econ 17:53–71
Chiswick B, Lee Y, Miller P (2008) Immigrant selection system and immigrant health. Contemp Econ Policy 26:555–578
Eknoyan G (2007) Adolphe Quetelet (1796–1874)—the average man and indices of obesity. Nephrol Dial Transplant 23:47–51
Idler EL, Benyamini Y (1997) Self-reported health and mortality: a review of twenty-seven community studies. J Health Soc Behav 38:21–37
Pit SW, Shrestha R, Schofield D (2010) Health problems and retirement due to Ill-health among Australian retirees Aged 45–64 years. Health Policy 94:175–181
Qin LJ, Yu SQ, Wang CG (2013) The impact of health on the off-farm income of China’s migrant worker. Agric Econ 59:90–99
State Council of China (2011) The 12th Five-Year Plan for National Population Development, http://www.gov.cn/zwgk/2012-04/10/content_2109800.htm. Accessed 23 November 2011
Zhou WF (2010) EU enlargement and migration: assessing the labor market effects on EU member states. Actual Probl Econ 130:372–380
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Social Science Foundation of China (grant no.13CGL102), Science Foundation of Ministry of Education of China (grant no.12YJC790152), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (grant no. 2012 M510316) and China Postdoctoral Science Key Foundation (grant no. 2013 T60058).
Conflict of Interest
The authors have no conflict of interest.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Qin, L., Wang, Z. Impact of Health Status and Related Factors on Labor Market Positions of Urban Mature Chinese. J Labor Res 36, 224–231 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12122-015-9204-1
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12122-015-9204-1