ABSTRACT
Using longitudinal data from the Canadian National Population Health Survey (NPHS), we study the relationship between health and employment among older Canadians. We focus on two issues: (1) the possible problems with self-reported health, including endogeneity and measurement error, and (2) the relative importance of health changes and long-term health in the decision to work. We contrast estimates of the impact of health on employment using self-assessed health, an objective health index contained in the NPHS - the HUI3, and a 'purged' health stock measure. Our results suggest that health has an economically significant effect on employment probabilities for Canadian men and women aged 50-64, and that this effect is underestimated by simple estimates based on self-assessed health. We also corroborate recent US and UK findings that changes in health are important in the work decision.
