The relationship between occupation characteristics and mortality 2003 - 2017

Christopher McDonald, University of Oxford

(Project no. 2000762)

The purpose of the research is to investigate the relationship between occupation characteristics and mortality, using the ONS Longitudinal Study. The research will focus on individuals who were of working age at the 2001 Census; their mortality will be followed from 2003 – 2017. Survival analysis will be used to determine which characteristics of occupations are related to mortality, adjusting for various economic, demographic and social characteristics of individuals. The occupation characteristics to be studied will be taken from the US “O*NET” employment database[1]. Examples of occupation characteristics to be studied are: the degree to which the occupation requires fine motor skills or cognitive skills; the degree to which they involve repetitive, physically challenging, or socially challenging work; the degree to which they reward work styles of leadership or cooperation. The variety and level of detail of these characteristics distinguishes this approach from previous work. The project will provide evidence on which of these characteristics are associated with mortality. This evidence could be used to inform public health policy and public service provision.