Workplace Health Promotion and Labour Market Performance of Employees

42 Pages Posted: 25 Sep 2014

See all articles by Martin Huber

Martin Huber

University of Fribourg

Michael Lechner

University of St. Gallen - Swiss Institute for Empirical Economic Research

Conny Wunsch

University of Basel; IZA Institute of Labor Economics; CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute); University of St. Gallen

Multiple version iconThere are 3 versions of this paper

Date Written: July 1, 2014

Abstract

This paper investigates the average effects of (firm-provided) workplace health promotion measures in form of the analysis of sickness absenteeism and health circles/courses on labour market outcomes of the firms' employees. Exploiting linked employer-employee panel data that consist of rich survey-based and administrative information on firms, workers and regions, we apply a flexible propensity score matching approach that controls for selection on observables as well as on time-constant unobserved factors. While the effects of analysing sickness absenteeism appear to be rather limited, our results suggest that health circles/courses increase tenure and decrease the number of job changes across various age groups. A key finding is that health circles/courses strengthen the labour force attachment of elderly employees (51-60), implying potential cost savings for public transfer schemes such as unemployment or early retirement benefits.

Keywords: analysis of sickness absenteeism, firm health policies, health circles, health courses, matching

JEL Classification: I10, I19, J32

Suggested Citation

Huber, Martin and Lechner, Michael and Wunsch, Conny, Workplace Health Promotion and Labour Market Performance of Employees (July 1, 2014). CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP10055, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2501528

Martin Huber (Contact Author)

University of Fribourg ( email )

Bd de Pérolles 90
Fribourg, Fribourg CH-1700
Switzerland

Michael Lechner

University of St. Gallen - Swiss Institute for Empirical Economic Research ( email )

Varnbuelstrasse 14
St. Gallen, 9000
Switzerland
+41 71 224 2320 (Phone)

Conny Wunsch

University of Basel ( email )

Petersplatz 1
Basel, CH-4003
Switzerland

IZA Institute of Labor Economics ( email )

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute) ( email )

Poschinger Str. 5
Munich, DE-81679
Germany

University of St. Gallen ( email )

Dufourstrasse 50
St. Gallen, 9000
Switzerland

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