Self-Employment Transitions and Health Outcomes in Later Life: Evidence From China
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View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.Older workers in China transitioning to self-employment experience poorer health and life satisfaction. This is especially true for agricultural workers with lower education, highlighting the need for supportive policies.
Area Of Science
- Gerontology
- Public Health
- Sociology of Work
Background
- Self-employment offers an alternative to waged employment for older workers nearing retirement.
- Limited research exists on the health impacts of employment transitions (self- vs. waged) for older adults, especially outside Western countries.
- China's unique socioeconomic context necessitates examining these transitions by household registration status (hukou), region, and education.
Purpose Of The Study
- To investigate the health consequences of employment transitions among older Chinese workers.
- To differentiate the health impacts of transitioning into, out of, or remaining in self-employment versus waged employment.
- To explore how factors like hukou, region, and education modify these health impacts.
Main Methods
- Utilized fixed-effect models on longitudinal data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011-2018).
- Analyzed cognitive, mental, physical health, and life satisfaction outcomes for 4,606 older adults.
- Separately examined agricultural and nonagricultural work due to China's specific labor market structure.
Main Results
- Individuals entering or staying in self-employment reported lower self-rated health and life satisfaction compared to those in waged employment.
- No significant differences were found in cognitive functioning or depressive symptoms between employment types.
- Transitioning from self-employment to waged employment was associated with worse self-rated health than remaining in waged employment.
- Health impacts were more pronounced for agricultural self-employment, particularly for urban residents with rural hukou and lower educational attainment.
Conclusions
- Older Chinese individuals often enter self-employment due to low human capital and socioeconomic status, negatively impacting their health.
- Policy interventions, including pension reforms and support for older workforce participation, are crucial.
- These policies can help mitigate health disparities between rural and urban older adults and those with varying socioeconomic backgrounds.
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