The probability of being employed declines by 4%, work hours decrease by 5%, and income declines by 9% after HIV diagnosis. HIV also leads to a pronounced increase of 46% in the probability of receiving disability insurance or sickness benefits.
This is according to a study, “Labor Market Outcomes of People with HIV Pre- and Post-Diagnosis in the Netherlands”, that was published in Nature Communications.
More specifically, the study added, when it comes to income, annual earnings decline by about €3,584 after an HIV diagnosis. For this group of individuals, the annual pre-diagnosis average income is €40,135.
For this study, the researchers combined clinical data on a census of people linked to HIV care in the Netherlands with administrative data on demographics and labor market outcomes of all residents. The data included information on employment, hours worked, income, and the receipt of disability benefits. They then matched people with HIV diagnosed between 2010 and 2022 to a control group of people without HIV from the Dutch population on registered sex, birth year, education level and migration background.
“Overall, we found that the reductions in individuals’ labor market performance were significant for people with HIV, regardless of the stage of the infection at diagnosis. The effect is however more pronounced for individuals with a late HIV diagnosis,” said co-author Andrei Tuiu.
People with a late HIV diagnosis experience a larger decline in the probability of being employed than those with a timely diagnosis: approximately 6% compared to 3%, respectively.
Also a larger decline in work hours is reported: six percent compared to five percent respectively.
A late HIV diagnosis also leads to a greater increase in the probability of receiving disability insurance or sickness benefits than a timely one: approximately 60% compared to 37% respectively. Income declines by about 9% for both groups.
Co-author Marc van der Valk said: “As demonstrated, the impact is significant, and to our surprise also present in people who are diagnosed timely. While it is well-known that the impact on physical health is usually minimal in the case of a timely diagnosis, these less-apparent effects are new and need to be shared widely to inform and drive improvements in existing prevention policies to strengthen initiatives aimed at reducing new HIV infections. Furthermore, early detection remains essential since the impact of a late diagnosis was larger.”
