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The impact of working conditions on mental health: Novel evidence from the UK

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  • Belloni, Michele
  • Carrino, Ludovico
  • Meschi, Elena

Abstract

This paper investigates the causal impact of working conditions on mental health in the UK, combining new longitudinal data on working conditions from the European Working Conditions Survey with microdata from the UK Household Longitudinal Survey (Understanding Society). Our empirical strategy accounts for the endogenous sorting of individuals into occupations by including individual fixed effects. We address the potential endogeneity of occupational change over time by focusing only on individuals who remain in the same occupation (ISCO 3-digit), exploiting the variation in working conditions within each occupation over time. This variation, determined primarily by general macroeconomic conditions, is likely to be exogenous from the individual point of view.

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  • Belloni, Michele & Carrino, Ludovico & Meschi, Elena, 2022. "The impact of working conditions on mental health: Novel evidence from the UK," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:labeco:v:76:y:2022:i:c:s0927537122000677
    DOI: 10.1016/j.labeco.2022.102176
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    2. Apostolos Davillas & Andrew M Jones, 2021. "The first wave of the COVID‐19 pandemic and its impact on socioeconomic inequality in psychological distress in the UK," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(7), pages 1668-1683, July.
    3. Bíró, A.; & Elek, P.;, 2024. "Firm Quality and Health Maintenance," Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers 24/13, HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York.
    4. Joe Spearing, 2024. "The effect of retirement eligibility on mental health in the United Kingdom: Heterogeneous effects by occupation," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(8), pages 1621-1648, August.
    5. Ludovico Carrino & Vahé Nafilyan & Mauricio Avendano, 2023. "Should I Care or Should I Work? The Impact of Work on Informal Care," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 42(2), pages 424-455, March.
    6. Zhao, Yuejun, 2023. "Job displacement and the mental health of households: Burden sharing counteracts spillover," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    7. Sylvie Blasco & Julie Rochu & Benedicte Rouland, 2024. "Impact of work intensity and autonomy on well-being," French Stata Users' Group Meetings 2024 01, Stata Users Group.
    8. Hugh-Jones, Sam & Wilding, Anna & Munford, Luke & Sutton, Matt, 2023. "Age-gender differences in the relationships between physical and mental health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 339(C).
    9. Rienzo, Cinzia, 2024. "Trick or treat? The Brexit effect on immigrants’ mental health in the United Kingdom," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    10. Stephens, Thomas C., 2023. "Change, stagnation, and polarisation in UK job quality, 2012-2021: evidence from a new Quality of Work index," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 120050, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    11. Benjamin Schneider & Jane Whittle, 2024. "Where is the Place in the History of Work? Worksites, Workspaces, and the Home-Work Nexus," Oxford Economic and Social History Working Papers _213, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    12. SATO Kaori & KURODA Sachiko & OWAN Hideo, 2024. "Personality Traits as Moderators of the Effects of Working Hours on Mental Health," Discussion papers 24048, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Mental health; Working conditions; Job demand; Job control;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I1 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J28 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Safety; Job Satisfaction; Related Public Policy
    • J81 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards - - - Working Conditions

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