Race and Education Differences in Disability Status and Labor Force Attachment in the Health and Retirement Study

This article examines the various effects of health problems, functional limitations, socioeconomic characteristics, and job characteristics on the disability and labor market status of black and white men. Results show that measures of current health status are significant predictors of both labor force participation and self-reported disability status of men aged 50-61. Differences in health status and functional ability between this cohort of black and white men does account for some of the differences in labor force attachment. Health differences between men with different education levels seem to account for all of the gap in labor force attachment between the two groups. Results also suggest that job characteristics affect the manner in which adults adapt to the onset of health limitations and their ability to continue working.