The Socioeconomic and Gender Impacts of Health Events on Employment Transitions in France: A Panel Data Study

Abstract

This article explores the effect of accidents and chronic diseases on participation in the French labour market, while accounting for socioeconomic and gender effects. We use a dynamic definition of the control group and the difference-in-differences exact matching estimator, which controls for unobserved heterogeneity. We find that accidents and chronic illnesses have comparable negative effects on employment. Women and the less educated workers are the most at a disadvantage, especially in the case of accidents. Almost all the transitions go from employment to inactivity.