Impacts of an ageing workforce on

claim rates and work disability:

Australian and Canadian perspectives

Peter Smith

Associate Professor and Larkins Fellow

School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine

Acknowledgements

This research is supported with funds from WorkSafeBC and the Workers Compensation Board of Nova Scotia, through the FOCUS ON TOMORROW research program

Peter Smith is supported by a Discovery Early Career Research Award from the Australian Research Council and was supported

by a New Investigator Award from the Canadian Institutes of

Health Research.

The BC Ministry of Health and WorkSafeBC approved access to, and use of, the data facilitated by Population Data BC for this

study

2

Population Pyramids: Australia (1980, 2000, 2050)

12 8 4 4 8 12

0 - 4

5 - 9

10 - 14

15 - 19

20 - 24

25 - 29

30 - 34

35 - 39

40 - 44

45 - 49

50 - 54

55 - 59

60 - 64

65 - 69

70 - 74

75 - 79

80 - 84

85+ Men Women

12 8 4 4 8 12

0 - 4

5 - 9

10 - 14

15 - 19

20 - 24

25 - 29

30 - 34

35 - 39

40 - 44

45 - 49

50 - 54

55 - 59

60 - 64

65 - 69

70 - 74

75 - 79

80 - 84

85+ Men Women

Population Pyramids: Canada (1980, 2000, 2050)

Canada 2050 Australia 2050

Participation rates among older workers. Canada and

Australia. 1990 to 2011

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

55 to 59 years (CAN) 55 to 59 years (AUS)

60 to 64 years (CAN) 60 to 64 years (AUS)

65+ years (CAN) 65+ years (AUS)

6

What do we know about the relationship between age

and work injury?

Most epidemiological research in this area suggests that OLDER age is

associated with:

lower risk of work injury

worse consequences (e.g. longer absence from work) when injuries do occur

7

Percentage of wage replacement claims by age group:

Victoria 1995 through 2009

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

LT 19years

20 - 24years

25 - 29years

30 - 34years

35 - 39years

40 - 44years

45 - 49years

50 - 54years

55+ years

1995 2000 2005 2009

8

Percentage of wage replacement claims by age group:

British Columbia 1995 through 2009

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

15 - 19years

20 - 24years

25 - 29years

30 - 34years

35 - 39years

40 - 44years

45 - 49years

50 - 54years

55+ years

1995 2000 2005 2009

9

10

Why is age associated with worse outcomes after work-

related injury?

1. Differences in the types of work injuries sustained at work

2. Differences in the types of injuries reported to compensation

agencies

3. Differences in functional capacity prior to work injury (e.g. chronic

conditions)

4. Differences in the return-to-work process (e.g. accommodation offers,

physician recommendations, motivation to return to work)

Unadjusted regression estimates for days of wage

replacement (2 year period - logged). Males. 2005-06

-0.7

-0.6

-0.5

-0.4

-0.3

-0.2

-0.1

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

15 to 24yrs

25 to 34yrs

35 to 44yrs

45 to 54yrs

55+ yrs 15 to 24yrs

25 to 34yrs

35 to 44yrs

45 to 54yrs

55+ yrs

11

Victoria British Columbia

ref ref

Unadjusted regression estimates for days of wage

replacement (2 year period - logged). Females. 2005-06

-0.7

-0.6

-0.5

-0.4

-0.3

-0.2

-0.1

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

15 to 24yrs

25 to 34yrs

35 to 44yrs

45 to 54yrs

55+ yrs 15 to 24yrs

25 to 34yrs

35 to 44yrs

45 to 54yrs

55+ yrs

12

Victoria British Columbia

ref ref

13

Conclusions

Older age associated with more days of absence from work in the two year period following a work injury

Relationship stronger among men than women

Relationship is similar in Victoria and British Columbia

BUT

Workers compensation in British Columbia

Lost-time claims

After the day of injury/illness, the worker

is absent from work; or

has reduction in earnings (through fewer hours at old job or lower wages doing modified work).

No-lost-time-claims

Worker requires health care (arising from work injury or illness), but is not absent from work other than the day of Injury.

Also includes modified work for more than seven days at regular pay and hours, even without health care.

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Workers compensation in Victoria

Standard Claims

Claims where time away from work is likely to exceed employers excess (commonly 10 days) and/or medical and like expenses likely to

exceed threshold ($610 in 2011/12)

Claim form and certificate of capacity sent to claims agent within 10 days

Minor Claims

Claims where time away AND medical and like expenses will not exceed employers threshold

Claim form sent to claims agent within 14 days of the end of the quarter in which the claim was received

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So what does comparable data look like?

16

Comparable data

British Columbia

Remove claims that do not accumulate 10 days of wage replacement till the end of the first full month after disability start date

Victoria

Remove claims that do not accumulate 1 day of weekly payments up till the end of the first full month after incapacity start date

Remove mental health claims, except those for PTSD.

17

Unadjusted regression estimates for days away from work

(logged). Males. British Columbia. 2005-06

-0.8

-0.6

-0.4

-0.2

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

15 to 24yrs

25 to 34yrs

35 to 44yrs

45 to 54yrs

55+ yrs 15 to 24yrs

25 to 34yrs

35 to 44yrs

45 to 54yrs

55+ yrs

18

BC (all claims) BC (comparable claims)

ref ref

Unadjusted regression estimates for days away from work

(logged). Males. Victoria. 2005-06

-0.8

-0.6

-0.4

-0.2

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

15 to 24yrs

25 to 34yrs

35 to 44yrs

45 to 54yrs

55+ yrs 15 to 24yrs

25 to 34yrs

35 to 44yrs

45 to 54yrs

55+ yrs

19

Victoria (all claims) Victoria (comparable claims)

ref ref

Unadjusted regression estimates for days away from work

(logged). Males. Victoria and British Columbia. 2005-06

-0.8

-0.6

-0.4

-0.2

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

15 to 24yrs

25 to 34yrs

35 to 44yrs

45 to 54yrs

55+ yrs 15 to 24yrs

25 to 34yrs

35 to 44yrs

45 to 54yrs

55+ yrs

20

Victoria (comparable claims) BC (comparable claims)

ref ref

Unadjusted regression estimates for days away from work

(logged). Females. British Columbia. 2005-06

-0.8

-0.6

-0.4

-0.2

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

15 to 24yrs

25 to 34yrs

35 to 44yrs

45 to 54yrs

55+ yrs 15 to 24yrs

25 to 34yrs

35 to 44yrs

45 to 54yrs

55+ yrs

21

BC (all claims) BC (comparable claims)

ref ref

Unadjusted regression estimates for days away from work

(logged). Females. Victoria. 2005-06

-0.8

-0.6

-0.4

-0.2

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

15 to 24yrs

25 to 34yrs

35 to 44yrs

45 to 54yrs

55+ yrs 15 to 24yrs

25 to 34yrs

35 to 44yrs

45 to 54yrs

55+ yrs

22

Victoria (all claims) Victoria (comparable claims)

ref ref

Unadjusted regression estimates for days away from work

(logged). Females. British Columbia. 2005-06

-0.8

-0.6

-0.4

-0.2

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

15 to 24yrs

25 to 34yrs

35 to 44yrs

45 to 54yrs

55+ yrs 15 to 24yrs

25 to 34yrs

35 to 44yrs

45 to 54yrs

55+ yrs

23

Victoria (comparable claims) BC (comparable claims)

ref ref

Summary

Removing short duration claims (less than 10 days of wage replacement) reduces age differences in days away from work in British

Columbia among male claimants.

Differences in wage replacement are still present in Victoria (among male claimants)

Age differences in absence from work are generally similar among female claimants

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Next Steps

Possible reasons for differences among male claimants include

Differences in reporting practices

System level differences

Understand if differences persist across different types of injuries, occupations, industries

25