From industries to services: occupational mobility and health in England and Wales

Eleni Kampanellou and Christopher Dibben, University of St Andrews and Frank Popham, University of Glasgow

(Project no. 30150)

The purpose of the project is to assess the possible effects (positive and negative) of occupational transition on health and mortality in England and Wales by taking into consideration the socio-economic characteristics of the individuals. Due to the epidemiological character of the study, a survival analysis and logistic regression will be conducted.

The study aims to assess the positive and negative impact of occupational change associated with deindustrialisation on health and mortality in England and Wales. In particular the project focuses on the population employed in the industrial sector and their transition to other sectors of the economy or unemployment. It is expected that health variations and mortality patterns exist between those employed in the industrial sector and those in the services sector and it is hypothesised that this is related to different patterns of occupational change, unemployment and re-employment. There are four main objectives for the project. The first aim is to examine the change in occupation and the transition in economic activity (for example in and out of employment) of the working age population in England and Wales by comparing males and females employed in industries and services. Thus it can be recognized which industries have most been affected by deindustrialisation, and at the same time observe which service sectors were able to absorb the working age population. Secondly to identify to what extent former industrial employees have been reabsorbed into other sectors of the economy and whether this varies by age and gender. Third to assess the morbidity (for example limiting long- term illness) and mortality patterns of former industrial workers and services employees who became redundant in comparison to men and women still working in similar industries and services and those reabsorbed in other sectors of the economy. Finally to examine whether former industrialized areas have an independent effect on the formation of health differentials and mortality patterns.

For the completion of the above aims a longitudinal study is the most appropriate one. The advantage of the LS is its size along with thirty year time coverage of census and events information. Therefore the sample size and the follow-up of individuals offer distinctive opportunities for research that cannot be identified in other studies.