Employment Changes Corresponding to the Duration of Disability

This study examines how the duration of disability influences changes in employment across the working-age US population (ages 18--64). Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) data from the 2004 and 2008 panels (waves 1--14) were analyzed. Multinomial regression analyses measured labor market changes for adults with different durations of disability, measured by employment and work-preventing conditions. Key findings: (1) disability had negative effects on employment change, such as increased job transition and continuous non-employment; adults with long-term disability had lower employment loss and higher employment gain than adults with a short-term disability; (2) adults with a long-term disability had higher odds of experiencing continuous non-employment than adults with a no disability or a short -term disability; (3) women with long-term disability experienced greater job gain and higher continuous non-employment than women with a short-term disability; (4) men with a long-term disability experienced lower job loss, higher job gain and continuous non-employment than men with a short-term disability; (4) Compared to individuals with no disability, NH Whites and NH Blacks with a long-term disability had lower odds than NH Whites and NH Blacks with a short-term disability of experiencing employment to non-employment changes; (5) NH Whites and NH Blacks increased the likelihood of experiencing job gain and continuous non-employment as the duration of disability increased. These results suggest any duration of a disability may lead to employment disparities, such as job transition and continuous non-employment. The degree of employment disparities depended on the duration of the disability, sex and race.