Research Underway
Economic impacts of disease on older workers: costs to government and individuals and opportunities for intervention
Investigators:
Mr Arul Earnest, Associate Professor Simon Kelly, Dr Megan Passey, Associate Professor Richard Percival, Dr Sabrina Pit and Associate Professor Deborah Schofield (PI)
Project aim(s):
This project will use microsimulation models to investigate the likely impact of disease on older workers. Specifically, the project aims to:
- Determine whether increased longevity has also resulted in better health in persons of older working age
- Model the labour force participation and retirement of older workers and its relationship to illness
- Model the costs to individuals of early retirment related to illness
- Model the costs to the Australian government of early retirement related to illness
- Identify those conditions which have the greatest economic impact in relation to early retirement
- Estimate the impact of reduced illness in the older working age population
Project status:
Application approved May 2007
Project commenced
Progress to date:
Baseline questionnaire data from the 45 and Up Study are being used in an ARC grant titled "Economic impacts of disease on older workers: Costs to government and individuals and opportunities for intervention". This funding was awarded by the University of Sydney and the University of Canberra to A/Prof Deborah Schofield, Dr Megan Passey, Mr Arul Earnest, A/Prof Richard Percival and A/Prof Simon Kelly. It is to be completed by the end of 2009. The Study data are being used in the microsimulation model Health&WealthMOD to predict duration of retirement for people aged 45 to 64 years who retired early due to ill health where the duration of retirement was more than 2 years.
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