Health, Well-Being and Work History Patterns: Insight on Territorial Differences

Abstract

The progressive flexibility of labour relations has not always been perceived by workers as an opportunity, but as an ever-growing sense of precariousness. This appears all the more true in a country like Italy, where the labour market has long been characterized by some rigidity. Health is a fundamental domain of well-being and, although the relationship between health and job insecurity has been clearly highlighted, the correct causal effect along with differences at the territorial level have not always been brought into focus. The aim of this paper is to provide insights on health status differentials across Italian territories, in relation to individual working histories. To analyze the potential causal effects of career on self-reported health (SRH) a propensity score approach, based on the inverse probability of treatment weighing, has been used. Available data shows great differences at territorial level: in Northern Italy, the economic conditions seem to increase the probability of having good health, while in the other regions of Italy key factors seem to be age, children or the sector and size of the company where an individual works. Our findings have also shown the presence of a causal effect on the work history patterns of SRH in northern Italy, and not elsewhere. This may imply that in an area with high occupational levels having only a temporary employment is perceived as the merest chance, and could generate stress both at a physical and mental level. In other areas, high unemployment levels seem to arouse low expectations and the only fact of having a job—even if temporary—can be perceived as a positive aspect.