Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T05:40:29.808Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Effects of Disability on Job Search Among Older Workers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

Mathew Hutton
Affiliation:
Work and Health Research Team; Ageing, Work and Health Research Unit, The University of Sydney, Australia
Philip Bohle*
Affiliation:
Work and Health Research Team; Ageing, Work and Health Research Unit, The University of Sydney, Australia
Maria Mc Namara
Affiliation:
Work and Health Research Team; Ageing, Work and Health Research Unit, The University of Sydney, Australia
Zhicheng Li
Affiliation:
Work and Health Research Team; Ageing, Work and Health Research Unit, The University of Sydney, Australia
*
Address for correspondence: Philip Bohle, Ageing, Work and Health Research Unit, Cumberland Campus, The University of Sydney, PO Box 170, Lidcombe NSW 2141, Australia. E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

This article examines the impact of disability and related variables (age, gender, and education level) on job search behaviours and employment outcomes. Data are from a two-wave study of 681 Australians between the ages of 45 and 65 who were not in paid employment. Regression modelling indicates that disability impedes job search at several stages of the employment process. Although is it unrelated to job search intensity, disability is negatively associated with the probability of engaging in job search, preferred weekly hours of work, and the likelihood of finding work. Gender and age are related to the probability of engaging in job search and gender is also associated with preferred hours to work. These findings indicate that older workers with a disability face multiple disadvantages when seeking employment.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Australian Academic Press Pty Ltd 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aarts, L., & de Jong, P.R. (1992). Economic aspects of disability behavior. Amsterdam, the Netherlands: North-Holland.Google Scholar
Alderfer, C.P. (1972). Existence, relatedness, and growth. New York, NY: Free Press.Google Scholar
Ali, M., Schur, L., & Blanck, P. (2011). What types of jobs do people with disabilities want? Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 21, 199210.Google Scholar
Argyrous, G., & Neale, M. (2001). Labour market disability: Implications for the unemployment rate. Economic and Labour Relations Review, 12, 263284.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2005). Australian social trends, 2005 (No. 4102.0). Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.auGoogle Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2009). Labour force, Australia, May 2009 (No. 6202.0). Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.auGoogle Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2010a). Disability, ageing and carers, Australia: Summary of findings, 2009 (No. 4430.0). Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.auGoogle Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2010b). Australian social trends: Older people and the labour market (No. 4102.0). Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.auGoogle Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2011a). Disability, Australia, 2009 (No. 4446.0). Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.auGoogle Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2011b). Labour force, Australia, September 2011 (No. 6202.0). Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.auGoogle Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2012). Australian social trends: Disability and Work (No. 4102.0). Retrieved from http://www.ausstats.abs.gov.auGoogle Scholar
Balnaves, M., & Caputi, P. (2001). Introduction to quantitative research methods: An investigative approach. London, England: Sage.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barnes, C. (2007). Disability, higher education and the inclusive society. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 28, 135145.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berthoud, R. (2003). Multiple disadvantage in employment, (Work and Opportunity Series, No. 31). York, England: Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.jrf.org.ukGoogle Scholar
Beynon, P. (2006). Ill health, disability, benefit and work: A summary of recent research. Social Policy Journal of New Zealand, 29, 78101.Google Scholar
Billett, S., Dymock, D., Johnson, G., & Martin, G. (2011). Overcoming the paradox of employers’ views about older workers. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 22, 12481261.Google Scholar
Blau, D.M. (1992). An empirical analysis of employed and unemployed job search behavior. Industrial & Labor Relations Review, 45, 738752.Google Scholar
Bound, J., & Burkhauser, R.V. (1999). Economic analysis of transfer programs targeted on people with disabilities. In Ashenfelter, O. & Card, D. (Eds.), Handbook of labor economics (pp. 34173528). Amsterdam, the Netherlands: Elsevier.Google Scholar
Burchardt, T. (2005). The education and employment of disabled young people: Frustrated ambition (Policy Press). York, England: Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.jrf.org.uk/Google Scholar
Burkhauser, R.V., & Daly, M.C. (1998). Disability and work: The experiences of American and German men. Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Economic Review, 2, 17.Google Scholar
Cai, L., Ha, V., & Wilkins, R. (2007). Disability support pension recipients: Who gets off (and stays off) payments? The Australian Economic Review, 40 (1), 3761.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chindamo, P. (2011). Australian labour market flows over the business cycle. Australian Bulletin of Labour, 37 (1), 127137.Google Scholar
Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S.G., & Aiken, L.S. (2003). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences (3rd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Crosby, R.A., DiClemente, R.J., & Salazar, L. (Eds.). (2006). Research methods in health promotion. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
Dionne, C., & Dube, V. (2005). Looking, and looking, for work. Perspectives on Labour and Income, 17 (2), 5054.Google Scholar
Dwyer, D. (1999). Health problems as determinants of retirement: Are self-rated measures endogenous? Journal of Health Economics, 18, 173193.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gerschick, T.J. (2000). Toward a theory of disability and gender. Signs, 25, 12631268.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, M.K. (2008). Disability and the labour market: a review of the empirical evidence. Journal of Economic Studies, 35, 405424.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, S.R. (1989). Job search methods, intensity and effects. Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, 51, 277296.Google Scholar
Kaye, H.S., Jans, L.H., & Jones, E.C. (2011). Why don't employers hire and retain workers with disabilities? Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 21, 526536.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Konrad, A.M., Moore, M.E., Doherty, A.J., Ng, E.S.W., & Breward, K. (2012). Vocational status and perceived well-being of workers with disabilities. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 31, 100123.Google Scholar
Kreider, B. (1999). Latent work disability and reporting bias. The Journal of Human Resources, 34, 734769.Google Scholar
Kulik, L. (2000). Jobless men and women: A comparative analysis of job search intensity, attitudes toward unemployment, and related responses. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 73, 487500.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Landt, J., & Pech, J. (2000). Work and welfare in Australia: The changing role of income support. Australian Social Policy, 2, 3353.Google Scholar
Leech, N.L., Barrett, K.C., & Morgan, G.A. (2005). SPSS for intermediate statistics: Use and interpretation (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Lynn, P., Buck, N., Burton, J., Jackle, A., & Laurie, H. (2005). A review of methodological research pertinent to longitudinal survey design and data collection (Working Paper Series 2005–29, Institute for Social & Economic Research). Retrieved from http://www.iser.essex.ac.ukGoogle Scholar
McFadyen, R.G., & Thomas, J.P. (1997). Economic and psychological models of job search behavior of the unemployed. Human Relations, 50, 14611484.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morris, A. (2006). Pain and mythology: Disability support pension recipients and work. Australian Review of Public Affairs, 7 (1), 4159.Google Scholar
Osberg, L. (1993). Fishing in different pools: Job-search strategies and job-finding success in Canada in the early 1980s. Journal of Labor Economics, 11, 348386.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Purcell, P. J. (2010). Older workers: Employment and retirement trends. Journal of Pension Planning and Compliance, 36 (2), 7088.Google Scholar
Peace, R., Wolf, A., Crack, S., Hutchinson, I., & Roorda, M. (2004). Wellbeing, employment, independence: The views of sickness and invalids’ benefit clients (Working Paper 07/04, New Zealand Ministry of Social Development). Retrieved from http://www.msd.govt.nzGoogle Scholar
Terefe, B. (2001). Trends in part-time job search. Perspectives on Labour and Income, 13 (4), 3741.Google Scholar
Tseng, Y., Vu, H., & Wilkins, R. (2008). Dynamic properties of income support receipt in Australia. The Australian Economic Review, 41 (1), 3255.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wanberg, C.R., Glomb, T.M., Song, Z., & Sorenson, S. (2005). Job-search persistence during unemployment: A 10-wave longitudinal study. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90 (3), 411430.Google Scholar
Wanberg, C.R., Kanfer, R., & Rotundo, M. (1999). Unemployed individuals: Motives, job-search competencies, and job-search constraints as predictors of job seeking and reemployment. Journal of Applied Psychology, 84, 897910.Google Scholar
Wilkins, R. (2004). The effects of disability on labour force status in Australia. Australian Economic Review, 37, 359382.Google Scholar