Long and healthy careers? The relationship between occupation and health and its implications for the statutory retirement age

In this paper Bastian Ravesteijn, Hans van Kippersluis and Eddy van Doorslaer (all EUR) investigate the relationship between occupation and health, and confirm that – also in the Netherlands in recent years – workers on a lower step of the occupational ladder on average report worse health, have a higher probability of disability and die earlier than workers in higher occupations. They sketch a theoretical framework to better understand the mechanisms underlying these disparities. This paper discusses how future research may try to overcome some of the crucial identification issues. They relate their findings to current policy issues with respect to occupational safety and the statutory retirement age, and discuss how future research could contribute to improved policy advice.