Musculoskeletal conditions, employment retention and job quality

This project will explore employment retention and job quality among individuals with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions.

Why this project is important

Existing evidence indicates that individuals with MSK conditions in the UK face poorer labour market outcomes, contributing to social and economic disadvantage. Narrowing the disability employment gap is a long-standing policy priority. The Department for Work and Pensions found that disabled workers are twice as likely to leave employment each year as non-disabled workers, but analysis of how this varies by health condition is missing. 

What it will involve

The research team aims to inform government policy and employer practice by providing a comprehensive understanding of the barriers and enablers to employment retention and changes in job quality for individuals with MSK conditions. Specifically, the project will:

1. Quantify the relationship between MSK conditions and employment retention and job retention, after accounting for other personal and job characteristics.
2. Explore heterogeneity in the relationship between MSK conditions and employment retention over time, and by region, personal and job-related characteristics, the characteristics of MSK conditions, and presence of other long-term health problems.
3. Identify the relationship between MSK conditions and job mobility, and how this relates to changes in job characteristics including pay, work hours, and commuting time.
4. Assess the broader relationship between MSK conditions and job quality using measures such as pay and underemployment.
5. Examine the relationship between MSK conditions and the destinations of those who leave employment, for example, in terms of retirement, economic inactivity, and unemployment.
6. Provide a comparison between MSK and other long-term health conditions in terms of employment retention and job quality.

How it will make a difference

The research will involve co-producing policy and practice briefs with Scope and the Business Disability Forum. Recommendations will be refined in employer roundtable events and end of project workshops. Findings will be shared with key stakeholders, including policymakers, employers, and equality organisations supporting individuals with MSK conditions.