Past Unemployment Experience and Health Status

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between individual past unemployment experience and alternative measures of individual health state after controlling for a number of current characteristics and current socio-economic status. Three alternative indicators of past unemployment status are used namely; the number and the duration of past unemployment spells. The study finds a cumulative effect of prolonged past unemployment experience on current individual health status. It also finds that those who are wealthier are also healthier. Finally the different institutional and cultural frameworks prevailing across different E.U countries appear to affect the health - past unemployment experience relationship.European Commission, Fifth Framework Programme “Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources” (contract number: QLRT-2001-02292)