Research ArticleArticles

Search, Acute Illness, and Absenteeism

Pyoungsik Kim
Published online before print March 11, 2026, 0923-13099R4; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.0923-13099R4

References

    1. Acemoglu, Daron,
    “A Microfoundation for Social Increasing Returns in Human Capital Accumulation,” The Quarterly Journal of Economics, August 1996, 111 (3), 779–804.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Acemoglu, Daron,
    “Training and Innovation in an Imperfect Labour Market,” The Review of Economic Studies, July 1997, 64 (3), 445–464.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Acemoglu, Daron and
    2. Robert Shimer,
    “Holdups and efficiency with search frictions,” International Economic Review, 1999, 40 (4), 827–849.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Aizawa, Naoki,
    “Labor market sorting and health insurance system design,” Quantitative Economics, 2019, 10 (4), 1401–1451.
    OpenUrl
    1. Aizawa, Naoki and
    2. Chao Fu,
    “Interaction of the Labor Market and the Health Insurance System: Employer Sponsored, Individual, and Public Insurance,” Journal of Labor Economics, 2025, 24 (3), 43.
    OpenUrl
    1. Aizawa, Naoki and
    2. Hanming Fang,
    “Equilibrium labor market search and health insurance reform,” Journal of Political Economy, 2020, 128 (11), 4258–4336.
    OpenUrl
    1. Baicker, Katherine,
    2. David Cutler, and
    3. Zirui Song,
    “Workplace wellness programs can generate savings,” Health Affairs, 2010, 29 (2), 1–8.
    OpenUrl
    1. Baicker, Katherine,
    2. Sarah L. Taubman,
    3. Heidi L. Allen,
    4. Mira Bernstein,
    5. Jonathan H. Gruber,
    6. Joseph P. Newhouse,
    7. Eric C. Schneider,
    8. Bill J. Wright, and
    9. Amy N. Finkelstein,
    “The Oregon Experiment — Effects of Medicaid on Clinical Outcomes,” New England Journal of Medicine, 2013, 368 (18), 1713–1722.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Becker, G. S.,
    “Health as human capital: synthesis and extensions,” Oxford Economic Papers, April 2007, 59 (3), 379–410.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
    1. Becker, Gary S.
    (Gary Stanley), “Human capital : a theoretical and empirical analysis, with special reference to education,” 1993, p. 390. Publisher: The University of Chicago Press ISBN: 9780226041209.
    1. Blau, David M.,
    “Search for Nonwage Job Characteristics: A Test of the Reservation Wage Hypothesis,” Journal of Labor Economics, April 1991, 9 (2), 186–205. Publisher: University of Chicago Press.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Blau, David M. and
    2. Donna B. Gilleskie,
    “The role of retiree health insurance in the employment behavior of older men,” International Economic Review, 2008, 49 (2), 475–514.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Bloemen, Hans G. G,
    “Job Search, Hours Restrictions, and Desired Hours of Work,” Journal of Labor Economics, 2008, 26 (1), 137–179. ISBN: 201902:32:45.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Bobba, Matteo,
    2. Luca Flabbi, and
    3. Santiago Levy,
    “Labor Market Search, Informality, and Schooling Investments,” International Economic Review, 2021, 00 (0).
    1. Bobba, Matteo,
    2. Luca Flabbi,
    3. Santiago Levy, and
    4. Mauricio Tejada,
    “Labor market search, informality, and on-the-job human capital accumulation,” Journal of Econometrics, 2020, (xxxx). Publisher: Elsevier B.V.
    1. Bontemps, Christian,
    2. Jean-Marc Robin, and
    3. Gerard J. Van Den Berg,
    “An Empirical Equilibrium Job Search Model With Search on the Job and Heterogeneous Workers and Firms,” International Economic Review, November 1999, 40 (4), 1039–1074.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Bound, John,
    2. Todd Stinebrickner, and
    3. Timothy Waidmann,
    “Health, economic resources and the work decisions of older men,” Journal of Econometrics, 2010, 156 (1), 106–129. Publisher: Elsevier B.V.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
    1. Bubonya, Melisa,
    2. Deborah A. Cobb-Clark, and
    3. Mark Wooden,
    “Mental health and productivity at work: Does what you do matter?,” Labour Economics, June 2017, 46, 150–165.
    OpenUrl
    1. Burdett, Kenneth and
    2. Dale T. Mortensen,
    “Wage Differentials, Employer Size, and Unemployment,” International Economic Review, May 1998, 39 (2), 257. Publisher: JSTOR.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Cahuc, Pierre,
    2. Fabien Postel-Vinay, and
    3. Jean Marc Robin,
    “Wage bargaining with on-the-job search: Theory and evidence,” Econometrica, 2006, 74 (2), 323–364.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Crawford, Gregory S. and
    2. Matthew Shum,
    “Uncertainty and learning in pharmaceutical demand,” Econometrica, 2005, 73 (4), 1137–1173.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Cronin, Christopher J.,
    “Insurance-Induced Moral Hazard: a Dynamic Model of Within-Year Medical Care Decision Making Under Uncertainty,” International Economic Review, 2019, 60 (1), 187–218.
    OpenUrl
    1. Cronin, Christopher J.,
    2. Matthew P. Forsstrom, and
    3. Nicholas W. Papageorge,
    “What Good Are Treatment Effects without Treatment? Mental Health and the Reluctance to Use Talk Therapy,” The Review of Economic Studies, 2024, 92 (3), 1699–1737.
    OpenUrl
    1. Darden, Michael,
    “Smoking, Expectations, and Health: A Dynamic Stochastic Model of Lifetime Smoking Behavior,” Journal of Political Economy, 2017, 125 (5), 1465–1507.
    OpenUrl
    1. Davis, Morris A. and
    2. E. Michael Foster,
    “A stochastic dynamic model of the mental health of children,” International Economic Review, 2005, 46 (3), 837–866.
    OpenUrl
    1. Dey, Matthew and
    2. Christopher Flinn,
    “Household search and health insurance coverage,” Journal of Econometrics, July 2008, 145 (1-2), 43–63. Publisher: North-Holland.
    OpenUrl
    1. Dey, Matthew and
    2. Christopher J. Flinn,
    “An Equilibrium Model of Health Insurance Provision and Wage Determination,” Econometrica, 2005, 73 (2), 571–627.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Dizioli, Allan and
    2. Roberto Pinheiro,
    “Health insurance as a productive factor,” Labour Economics, June 2016, 40, 1–24. Publisher: Elsevier B.V.
    OpenUrl
    1. Eckstein, Zvi and
    2. Gerard J. van den Berg,
    “Empirical labor search: A survey,” Journal of Econometrics, 2007, 136 (2), 531–564.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Eckstein, Zvi and
    2. Kenneth I. Wolpin,
    “Duration to first job and the return to schooling: Estimates from a search-matching model,” Review of Economic Studies, April 1995, 62 (2), 263–286. Publisher: Oxford Academic.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
    1. Einav, Liran and
    2. Amy Finkelstein,
    “Moral hazard in health insurance: What we know and how we knowit,” Journal of the European Economic Association, 2018, 16 (4), 957–982.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
    1. Fang, Hanming and
    2. Alessandro Gavazza,
    “Dynamic inefficiencies in an employment-based health insurance system: Theory and evidence,” American Economic Review, 2011, 101 (7), 3047–3077.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
    1. Fang, Hanming and
    2. Andrew J. Shephard,
    “Household Labor Search, Spousal Insurance, and Health Care Reform,” SSRN Electronic Journal, October 2019, pp. 1–68. Publisher: Elsevier BV.
    1. Fevang, Elisabeth,
    2. Simen Markussen, and
    3. Knut Røed,
    “The Sick Pay Trap,” Journal of Labor Economics, April 2014, 32 (2), 305–336. Publisher: The University of Chicago Press.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
    1. Flabbi, Luca,
    “Gender discrimination estimation in a search model with matching and bargaining,” International Economic Review, 2010, 51 (3), 745–783.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Flabbi, Luca
    “Prejudice and gender differentials in the US labor market in the last twenty years,” Journal of Econometrics, May 2010, 156 (1), 190–200. Publisher: North-Holland.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
    1. Flabbi, Luca and
    2. Andrea Ichino,
    “Productivity, seniority and wages: New evidence from personnel data,” Labour Economics, June 2001, 8 (3), 359–387. Publisher: North-Holland.
    OpenUrl
    1. Flabbi, Luca and
    2. Andrea Moro,
    “The effect of job flexibility on female labor market outcomes: Estimates from a search and bargaining model,” Journal of Econometrics, 2012, 168 (1), 81–95.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Flabbi, Luca and
    2. James Mabli,
    “Household Search or Individual Search: Does It Matter?,” Journal of Labor Economics, 2017, 36 (1), 1–46.
    OpenUrl
    1. Flinn, C. and
    2. J. Heckman,
    “New methods for analyzing structural models of labor force dynamics,” Journal of Econometrics, 1982, 18 (1), 115–168. Publisher: North-Holland Publishing Company.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Flinn, Christopher and
    2. Joseph Mullins,
    “Labor market search and schooling investment,” International Economic Review, 2015, 56 (2), 359–398.
    OpenUrl
    1. Flinn, Christopher J,
    “Minimum wage effects on labor market outcomes under search, matching, and endogenous contact rates,” Econometrica, 2006, 74 (4), 1013–1062.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Flinn, Christopher J.,
    2. Petra E. Todd, and
    3. Weilong Zhang,
    “Labor Market Returns to Personality: A Job Search Approach to Understanding Gender Gaps,” Journal of Political Economy, 2025, 133 (4), —. Electronically published February 7, 2025.
    1. Gilleskie, Donna,
    “Work absences and doctor visits during an illness episode: The differential role of preferences, production, and policies among men and women,” Journal of Econometrics, May 2010, 156 (1), 148–163. Publisher: North-Holland.
    OpenUrl
    1. Gilleskie, Donna B,
    “A Dynamic Stochastic Model of Medical Care Use and Work Absence,” Econometrica, 1998, 66 (1), 1.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Grossman, Michael,
    “On the Concept of Health Capital and the Demand for Health,” Journal of Political Economy, 1972, 80 (2), 223–255.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Hall, Robert E. and
    2. Alan B. Krueger,
    “Wage Formation between Newly Hired Workers and Employers: Survey Evidence,” Ssrn, 2008.
    1. Hall, Robert E and
    2. Andreas I Mueller,
    “Wage dispersion and search behavior: The importance of nonwage job values,” Journal of Political Economy, 2018, 126 (4), 1594–1637.
    OpenUrl
    1. Hall, Robert E. and
    2. Charles I. Jones,
    “The Value of Life and the Rise in Health Spending*,” The Quarterly Journal of Economics, February 2007, 122 (1), 39–72.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Harris, Matthew C.,
    “the Impact of Body Weight on Occupational Mobility and Career Development,” International Economic Review, 2019, 60 (2), 631–660.
    OpenUrl
    1. Harrison, David A and
    2. Joseph J Martocchio,
    “Time for Absenteeism: A 20-Year Review of Origins, Offshoots„” Journal of Management, 1998, 24 (3), 305–350.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Henrekson, Magnus and
    2. Mats Persson,
    “The effects on sick leave of changes in the sickness insurance system,” Journal of Labor Economics, 2004, 22 (1), 87–113.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Hilton, Michael F.,
    2. Paul A. Scuffham,
    3. Judith Sheridan,
    4. Catherine M. Cleary, and
    5. Harvey A. Whiteford,
    “Mental ill-health and the differential effect of employee type on absenteeism and presenteeism,” Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2008, 50 (11), 1228–1243. Publisher: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
    1. Hirsch, Boris,
    2. Daniel S. J. Lechmann, and
    3. Claus Schnabel,
    “Coming to work while sick: an economic theory of presenteeism with an application to German data,” Oxford Economic Papers, October 2017, 69 (4), 1010–1031. Publisher: Oxford Academic.
    OpenUrl
    1. Hosseini, Roozbeh,
    2. Karen A. Kopecky, and
    3. Kai Zhao,
    “The evolution of health over the life cycle,” Review of Economic Dynamics, July 2022, 45, 237–263.
    OpenUrl
    1. Hwang, Hae Shin,
    2. Dale T. Mortensen, and
    3. W. Robert Reed,
    “Hedonic wages and labor market search,” Journal of Labor Economics, 1998, 16 (4), 815–847.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
    1. Johansson, Per and
    2. Mårten Palme,
    “Assessing the effect of public policy on worker absenteeism,” Journal of Human Resources, 2002, 37 (2), 381–409.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Jolivet, Grégory and
    2. Fabien Postel-Vinay,
    “A Structural Analysis of Mental Health and Labor Market Trajectories,” The Review of Economic Studies, 2024. Advance access published online 25 June 2024.
    1. Jones, Damon,
    2. Ithai Z. Lurie, and
    3. Elena Patel,
    “The Effects of Health Insurance on Workers’ Employment and Health Outcomes: Evidence from a Large-Scale Natural Experiment,” American Economic Review: Insights, 2019, 1 (1), 1–26.
    OpenUrl
    1. Keane, Michael P. and
    2. Kenneth I. Wolpin,
    “The role of labor and marriage markets, preference heterogeneity, and the welfare system in the life cycle decisions of black, hispanic, and white women,” International Economic Review, 2010, 51 (3), 851–892.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
    1. Keane, Michael P. P and
    2. Kenneth I. I Wolpin,
    “The Career Decisions of Young Men,” Journal of Political Economy, 1997, 105 (3), 473–522.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Khwaja, Ahmed,
    “Estimating willingness to pay for medicare using a dynamic life-cycle model of demand for health insurance,” Journal of Econometrics, May 2010, 156 (1), 130–147. Publisher: North-Holland.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Liu, Kai,
    “Wage Risk and the Value of Job Mobility in Early Employment Careers,” Journal of Labor Economics, 2019, 37 (1), 139–185.
    OpenUrl
    1. Mahler, Lukas and
    2. Minchul Yum,
    “Lifestyle Behaviors and Wealth-Health Gaps in Germany,” Econometrica, 2024, 92 (5), 1697–1733.
    OpenUrl
    1. Malcomson, James M.,
    “Contracts, Hold-Up, and Labor Markets,” Journal of Economic Literature, 1997, 35 (4), 1916–1957. Publisher: American Economic Association.
    OpenUrlWeb of Science
    1. Nardi, Mariacristina De,
    2. Eric French, and
    3. John Bailey Jones,
    “Medicaid insurance in old age,” American Economic Review, 2016, 106 (11), 3480–3520.
    OpenUrlPubMed
    1. Navarro, Lucas and
    2. Mauricio M. Tejada,
    “Does public sector employment buffer the minimum wage effects?,” Review of Economic Dynamics, January 2022, 43, 168–196.
    OpenUrl
    1. Nicholson, Sean,
    2. Mark V. Pauly,
    3. Daniel Polsky,
    4. Claire Sharda,
    5. Helena Szrek, and
    6. Marc L. Berger,
    “Measuring the effects of work loss on productivity with team production,” Health Economics, 2006, 15 (2), 111–123.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Paola, Maria De,
    2. Vincenzo Scoppa, and
    3. Valeria Pupo,
    “Absenteeism in the Italian Public Sector: The Effects of Changes in Sick Leave Policy,” Journal of Labor Economics, April 2014, 32 (2), 337–360. Publisher: The University of Chicago Press.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
    1. Papageorge, Nicholas W,
    “Why medical innovation is valuable: Health, human capital, and the labor market,” Quantitative Economics, 2016, 7, 671–725.
    OpenUrl
    1. Pauly, Mark V.,
    2. Sean Nicholson,
    3. Judy Xu,
    4. Dan Polsky,
    5. Patricia M. Danzon,
    6. James F. Murray, and
    7. Marc L. Berger,
    “A general model of the impact of absenteeism on employers and employees,” Health Economics, 2002, 11 (3), 221–231.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Pichler, Stefan and
    2. Nicolas R. Ziebarth,
    “The pros and cons of sick pay schemes: Testing for contagious presenteeism and noncontagious absenteeism behavior,” Journal of Public Economics, December 2017, 156, 14–33. Publisher: Elsevier B.V.
    OpenUrl
    1. Pichler, Stefan and
    2. Nicolas R. Ziebarth,
    “Labor Market Effects of U.S. Sick Pay Mandates,” Journal of Human Resources, 2020, 55 (2), 611–659.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Postel-Vinay, Fabien and
    2. Jean Marc Robin,
    “Equilibrium wage dispersion with worker and employer heterogeneity,” Econometrica, 2002, 70 (6), 2295–2350.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Puhani, Patrick A. and
    2. Katja Sonderhof,
    “The effects of a sick pay reform on absence and on health-related outcomes,” Journal of Health Economics, March 2010, 29 (2), 285–302.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Rust, John and
    2. Christopher Phelan,
    “How Social Security and Medicare Affect Retirement Behavior In a World of Incomplete Markets,” Econometrica, 1997, 65 (4), 781.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Song, Zirui and
    2. Katherine Baicker,
    “Effect of a Workplace Wellness Program on Employee Health and Economic Outcomes: A Randomized Clinical Trial,” JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association, 2019, 321 (15), 1491–1501.
    OpenUrlPubMed
    1. Stewart, Walter F.,
    2. Judith A. Ricci,
    3. Elsbeth Chee, and
    4. David Morganstein,
    “Lost Productive Work Time Costs from Health Conditions in the United States: Results from the American Productivity Audit,” Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2003, 45 (12), 1234–1246.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Sullivan, Paul,
    “Empirical evidence on occupation and industry specific human capital,” Labour Economics, June 2010, 17 (3), 567–580.
    OpenUrlPubMed
    1. Sullivan, Paul and
    2. Ted To,
    “Search and nonwage job characteristics,” Journal of Human Resources, March 2014, 49 (2), 472–507. Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Tarricone, Rosanna,
    “Cost-of-illness analysis What room in health economics?,” Health Policy, June 2006, 77 (1), 51–63.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Topel, R. H. and
    2. M. P. Ward,
    “Job Mobility and the Careers of Young Men,” The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2006, 107 (2), 439–479.
    OpenUrl
    1. van den Berg, Gerard J. and
    2. Geert Ridder,
    “An Empirical Equilibrium Search Model of the Labor Market,” Econometrica, 1998, 66 (5), 1183.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. White, Matthew N.,
    “Self-reported health status and latent health dynamics,” Journal of Health Economics, 2023, 88, 102727.
    OpenUrlPubMed
    1. Yamaguchi, Shintaro,
    “Job search, bargaining, and wage dynamics,” Journal of Labor Economics, 2010, 28 (3), 595–631.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
    1. Ziebarth, Nicolas R. and
    2. Martin Karlsson,
    “A natural experiment on sick pay cuts, sickness absence, and labor costs,” Journal of Public Economics, December 2010, 94 (11-12), 1108–1122.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
Back to top

In this issue

Download PDF
Article Alerts
Email Article
Citation Tools
Search, Acute Illness, and Absenteeism
Pyoungsik Kim
Journal of Human Resources Mar 2026, 0923-13099R4; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.0923-13099R4
Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
Bookmark this article

Jump to section

Keywords