Self-Reported Work Limitation Data: What They Can and Cannot Tell Us

Burkhauser, Richard V.; Daly, Mary C.; Houtenville, Andrew J.; Nargis, Nigar

doi:10.24148/wp2002-22

Cited by 32 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…However, even holding the severity of an impairment constant, some critics have said it is likely that those reporting a work-activity limitation are less likely to be working, because those who are not working will be more likely to report that their impairment also affects their ability to work-or conversely, those currently working are less likely to report a work limitation (Anderson & Burkhauser, 1985;Hale, 2001;Kirchner, 1996). Burkhauser, Daly, Houtenville, and Nargis (2002), using data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), confirm these concerns about the work-limitation question. However, they also show that despite the fact that the workactivity limitation-based population with disabilities understates the prevalence of the impairment-based population with disabilities as well as its employment rate, the trends in these two disability populations between 1983 and 1996 (the last year that such detailed information on impairments and work-activity limitations was asked in the NHIS) were not significantly different.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 83%

“…In Figure 2, we see that no matter the disability definition or data set, the relative employment rate of working-age people with disabilities to those without disabilities has been falling. The relative employment levels of the new six-question sequence and the seven-question sequence are much higher than the relative employment levels of the population with work-activity limitations, but the trends are similar, consistent with the results in Burkhauser et al (2002). Figure 3 focuses on the share of the working-age population that receives SSDI/SSI-Disabled Adults benefits, using the gross measure of SSDI/SSI-Disabled Adults receipt discussed in the "Method and Data" section, to be consistent over time and data set.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Capturing the Elusive Working-Age Population With Disabilities

Burkhauser

Houtenville

Tennant

2012

Journal of Disability Policy Studies

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The purpose of this study is to examine the implications of using different approaches to estimating the U.S. working-age population with disabilities. The approaches compared are the traditional work-activity limitation question, the Census Bureau's newer six-question sequence that does not include a work-activity limitation question, and the combination of the two. With data from the Current Population Survey and the American Community Survey, the authors demonstrate that using the work-limitation question or the six-question sequence alone results in an underestimate of the size of the working-age population with disabilities (assuming the International Classification of Disability, Health, and Functioning conceptualization of disabilities). Furthermore, the authors show that using the sample of the working-age population with disabilities identified by the six-question sequence will lead to biased estimates of key social policy success parameters; in particular, it will overestimate their employment rates and underestimate the share that are receiving Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income-Disabled Adults benefits relative to the broader sample that includes a work-limitation question and the six-question sequence.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 83%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Capturing the Elusive Working-Age Population With Disabilities

Burkhauser

Houtenville

Tennant

2012

Journal of Disability Policy Studies

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“…1). Thus, respondents were in the labor force if they were “working for pay now;” “temporarily laid off, on sick or other leave;” or “unemployed and looking for work.” Respondents were work-disabled if they identified as “ disabled and unable to work” or reported that they were “retired” but had a health condition expected to last at least 3 months that prevented them from “working altogether” (see Burkhauser et al 2002). 2 The remaining respondents were categorized as retired 3.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Retirement Life Course in America at the Dawn of the Twenty-First Century

Warner

Hayward

Hardy

2010

Popul Res Policy Rev

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As the baby boom cohorts expand the number of U.S. retirees, population estimates of the employment, withdrawal and reentry behaviors of older Americans' remain scarce. How long do people work? How frequently is retirement reversed? How many years are people retired? What is the modal age of retirement? And, how do the patterns for women compare to those for men? Using the 1992-2004 Health and Retirement Study, we estimate multistate working life tables to update information on the age-graded regularities of the retirement life course of men and women in the United States. We find that at age 50 men can expect to spend half of their remaining lives working for pay, while women can expect to spend just one-third. Half of all men and women have left the labor force by ages 63 and 61, respectively. Although the majority of retirement exits are final, variation in the nature and duration of the retirement process is substantial, as about a third of men's and women's exits are reversed. By quantifying these patterns for men and women, we provide a sound empirical basis for evaluating policy designed to address the financial pressures population aging places on public and private pension systems. KeywordsRetirement; Disability; Labor force; Life course; Gender; Multistate life tables Through the mid-twentieth century retirement was relatively uncommon (Costa 1998), an event replete with uncertainties-higher risks of poverty, morbidity and vague expectations of disengagement. However, automatic adjustment of Social Security benefits and wageindexing of earnings histories, coupled with mandatory retirement ages and the growth of defined-benefit pension plans, solidified retirement as a clearly defined normative phase of the life course (Atchley 1982;Guillemard and Rein 1993;Henretta 1992;Wise 2004 NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author ManuscriptAs the twentieth century closed, however, the institutional uniformity of retirement had weakened. The abolition of mandatory retirement ages, proliferation of employer definedbenefit pension plans and one-time early retirement incentives, and secular improvement in financial standing that made retirement more affordable, all combined to shift the risks of old age economic security back toward individuals (Han and Moen 1999;Henretta 1992;Shuey and O'Rand 2004). Indeed, uncertainty is again a ubiquitous feature of retirement (Blossfeld et al. 2006;Hardy 2006). With retirement loosened from institutional schedules, and firmly entrenched as a phase of the life course (Costa 1998;Hardy 2002), variability in late career employment patterns has increased. The result is increased heterogeneity in the timing, permanency, and duration of the retirement life course.Despite recognition that retirement is increasingly individualized (Guillemard and Rein 1993;Han and Moen 1999), as described by numerous studies analyzing individual-level retirement behavior, scholarly attention to documenting the ensuing demographic regularities of older American's work and r...

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“…, 2003). Burkhauser et al. (2002) have shown that work‐limitation‐based measures significantly underestimate the number of people with impairments in the broad population.…”

Section: Data and Measurement Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Recent Decline in the Employment of Persons With Disabilities in South Africa, 1998‐2006

Mitra

2008

South African J Economics

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This paper shows that there has been a significant decline in the employment and labour force participation of persons with disabilities in South Africa over the 1998 through 2006 period. Disability is defined based on activity limitations. Data are from the October and the General Household Surveys. The paper also deals with the possible causes of the decline. While several causes can be invoked, preliminary evidence suggests that the rise of the Disability Grant programme might be responsible for a part of the decline. Recommendations are made for future research and data collection on disability and employment. Copyright (c) 2008 The Author. Journal compilation (c) 2008 Economic Society of South Africa.

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Self-Reported Work Limitation Data: What They Can and Cannot Tell Us

Cited by 32 publications

References 16 publications

Capturing the Elusive Working-Age Population With Disabilities

Capturing the Elusive Working-Age Population With Disabilities

The Retirement Life Course in America at the Dawn of the Twenty-First Century

The Recent Decline in the Employment of Persons With Disabilities in South Africa, 1998‐2006

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