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Can Active Labour Market Programmes emulate the mental health benefits of regular paid employment? Longitudinal evidence from the United Kingdom

Wang, S; Coutts, A; Burchell, B; Kamerāde, D; Balderson, U

Authors

S Wang

A Coutts

B Burchell

U Balderson



Abstract

Active Labour Market Programmes (ALMPs), which form important components of employment support policies around the world, have been found to improve mental health and wellbeing of participants. However, it remains unclear how these health effects compare with the effects of different types of employment for men and women. Using 1991–2019 panel data in the UK, we find that unemployed women derive similar mental health benefits from ALMPs compared with employment. Unemployed men also benefit from ALMPs but obtain significantly more health benefits from formal employment. Such benefits are particularly pronounced in full-time, permanent and upper/middle-status jobs. Further analyses reveal that programmes that deliver human capital training have larger mental health benefits than employment assistance ALMPs. These findings provide a more nuanced understanding of the mental health impacts of ALMPs compared with different types of employment, and highlight the need for a more gender-sensitive design in labour market interventions.

Citation

Wang, S., Coutts, A., Burchell, B., Kamerāde, D., & Balderson, U. (2021). Can Active Labour Market Programmes emulate the mental health benefits of regular paid employment? Longitudinal evidence from the United Kingdom. Work, Employment and Society, 35(3), 545-565. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017020946664

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jun 1, 2020
Online Publication Date Oct 10, 2020
Publication Date Jun 1, 2021
Deposit Date Oct 12, 2020
Publicly Available Date Oct 12, 2020
Journal Work, Employment and Society
Print ISSN 0950-0170
Electronic ISSN 1469-8722
Publisher SAGE Publications
Volume 35
Issue 3
Pages 545-565
DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017020946664
Publisher URL https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017020946664
Related Public URLs https://journals.sagepub.com/home/wes
Additional Information Funders : Cambridge Political Economy Society Trust;The Health Foundation;Major Project of the National Social Science Fund of China
Projects : The Employment Dosage: How Much Work is Needed for Health and Wellbeing?
Grant Number: 1273834
Grant Number: 19ZDA149

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