Sickness Absence Among Immigrants in Norway: Does Occupational Disparity Matter?
Non-Western immigrants in Norway have more sickness absence than other immigrants and native Norwegians. Measured in wages, income, and positions of authority, non-Western immigrants have less favourable jobs.
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Together with fellow researchers Tor Helge Holmås (Uni Rokkan), M. Kamrul Islam (Uni Rokkan) and Ghazala Naz (SSB), has our Professor Hans-Tore Hansen written the article "Sickness Absence Among Immigrants in Norway: Does Occupational Disparity Matter?" That is published in the European Sociological Review (Volume 30 Issue 1 February 2014).
Using panel data models and matching techniques, the researchers examined whether occupational factors are associated with non-Western immigrants’ greater sickness absence. They found significantly more sickness absence (in terms of the probability and length of absences) for non-Western immigrants compared with native Norwegians, but occupational status explained relatively little of these immigrants’ greater sickness absence. However they did not find any between-group gender differences in sickness absence. In all groups, women had more sickness absence than men.
