The nearly fourfold increase in opioid prescriptions from 1999 to 2015 couldaccount for 20 percent of the overall decline of men in the U.S.workforce during that time period, according to the report,“Where Have All the Workers Gone? An Inquiry intothe Decline of the U.S. Labor Force Participation Rate,” byPrinceton University economist Alan B. Krueger.
In 2015 alone, the opioid and prescription painkiller addictionepidemic resulted in 33,000 American deaths, particularly impactingrural areas in the Northeast, Appalachia, and the Midwest,according to the report.
“Labor force participation has fallen more in areas whererelatively more opioid pain medication is prescribed, causing theproblem of depressed labor force participation and the opioidcrisis to become intertwined,” Krueger writes.
Continue Reading for Free
Register and gain access to:
- Breaking benefits news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Katie Kuehner-Hebert
Katie Kuehner-Hebert is a freelance writer based in Running Springs, Calif. She has more than three decades of journalism experience, with particular expertise in employee benefits and other human resource topics.
