Health status and labour force participation among older workers in Switzerland : a growth curve analysis

Objectives: We investigate how individual trajectories of health status and labor force participation among older workers in Switzerland are interrelated and how this relationship varies by occupation. Methods: We use data from the Swiss Household Panel (SHP) to analyze the long-term trajectories of older workers, measured in terms of working hours and general health status. The sample includes more than 7,000 workers aged 50 to 65(men)/64(women). We run a bivariate response multilevel model for growth that allows examining between- and within-individual changes over time. Results: All occupational groups become more heterogeneous in terms of health status with increasing age. At the same time, working hours decrease in all occupational groups with increasing age. A look at the individual level indicates that the working hours of manual workers seem to be more dependent on their health status compared to those of non-manual workers and that this dependence increases over time. This result confirms our hypothesis that the labor market participation of manual workers is more sensitive to their health status. Conclusions: Our findings contribute to the debate about the importance of older workers' health in the context of working life extension. Key messages: - All occupational groups become more heterogenous in terms of health status with increasing age, however working hours of manual workers seem to be more dependent on their health status. - Manual workers experience a stronger effect of health on working hours and that this effect increases over time, therefore prevention of ill health may be particularly beneficial in manual workers