Persistence and Change in Perceived Employment Uncertainty and Adult Health: Evidence from the Michigan Recession and Recovery Study

Sarah A. Burgard, University of Michigan

Although the Great Recession has officially ended, concern about employment uncertainty persists. Using panel data collected in late 2009/early 2010 and in spring of 2012, this paper will examine associations between perceived employment insecurity – a worker’s concern that job loss is likely – and several measures of health. Using wave 1 data, I find that individuals perceiving job insecurity have significantly worse self-rated health and are more likely to meet criteria for major or minor depression or to report a recent anxiety attack. Results are robust to adjustment for selection of individuals into these employment situations on the basis of socio-demographic characteristics, earlier health diagnoses, and objective employment disruptions like recent layoffs or unemployment. Robustness of these associations will be examined using the soon-to-be-available wave 2 data, and extended with measures of stability and change in perceived insecurity and models of health change.