HIV Status and Labor Market Participation in South Africa

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https://direct.mit.edu/rest/article-abstract/95/1/98/58029/HIV-Status-and-Labor-Market-Participation-in-South?redirectedFrom=fulltext

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https://doi.org/10.1162/REST_a_00237
 http://hdl.handle.net/11603/23469

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UMBC School of Public Policy

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https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2515-9731

Date

2013-03-01

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journal articles
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Citation of Original Publication

Levinsohn, James et al.; HIV Status and Labor Market Participation in South Africa ; The Review of Economics and Statistics, 95 (1): 98–108, 1 March, 2013; https://doi.org/10.1162/REST_a_00237

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© 2013 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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Abstract

We use econometric methods based on the propensity score to estimate the causal effect of HIV status on employment outcomes in South Africa. Relying on rich data from a national survey, which included HIV testing, we control for systematic differences between HIV-positive and HIV-negative individuals. We provide the first nationally representative estimates of the impact of HIV status on employment outcomes for southern Africa. Being HIV positive is associated with an increase of 6 to 7 percentage points in the likelihood of unemployment overall and 10 to 11 percentage points for those who are less educated. This disadvantage reinforces existing inequalities in South Africa.