Labour market consequences of an early-onset disability: the case of cerebral palsy

Abstract

ABSTRACT The labour market consequences of early-onset or congenital disabilities have received little attention in the literature. In this paper, we study the consequences of cerebral palsy (CP), a lifelong early onset disability, and pathways through which it affects labour outcomes. We use data from multiple linked Swedish National Population Registers between 1990 and 2015 and apply both regression and mediation analysis. Our results show, as expected, strong negative consequences of CP on labour outcomes, and that the consequences have increased over time. The social insurance system, we find, compensates for some of the losses through non-work-related benefits. The results also suggest that the direct effects of CP per se have prominent impact on labour market outcomes. Thus, given the same level of mediators, persons with CP will have lower labour outcomes compared to persons without CP. Our results draw attention to the widening labour market consequences of CP in Sweden.