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

Population Pyramids: Australia (1980, 2000, 2050)

Men

85+
80 - 84
75 - 79
70 - 74
65 - 69
60 - 64
55 - 59
50 - 54
45 - 49
40 - 44
35 - 39
30 - 34
25 - 29
20 - 24
15 - 19
10 - 14
5-9
0-4

12

Women

12

Population Pyramids: Canada (1980, 2000, 2050)

85+
80 - 84
75 - 79
70 - 74
65 - 69
60 - 64
55 - 59
50 - 54
45 - 49
40 - 44
35 - 39
30 - 34
25 - 29
20 - 24
15 - 19
10 - 14
5-9
0-4

Women

Men

12

12

Canada 2050

Australia 2050

Participation rates among older workers. Canada and

Australia. 1990 to 2011
80.0%
70.0%

60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
20.0%

55 to 59 years (CAN)
60 to 64 years (CAN)
65+ years (CAN)

55 to 59 years (AUS)
60 to 64 years (AUS)
65+ years (AUS)

10.0%
0.0%

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

Percentage of wage replacement claims by age group:

Victoria 1995 through 2009
20%

15%

10%

5%
1995

2000

2005

2009

0%
LT 19
years

20 - 24
years

25 - 29
years

30 - 34
years

35 - 39
years

40 - 44
years

45 - 49
years

50 - 54
years

55+ years

Percentage of wage replacement claims by age group:

British Columbia 1995 through 2009
20%

15%

10%

5%

1995

2000

2005

2009

0%
15 - 19
years

20 - 24
years

25 - 29
years

30 - 34
years

35 - 39
years

40 - 44
years

45 - 49
years

50 - 54
years

55+ years

Why is age associated with worse outcomes after workrelated 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)

10

Unadjusted regression estimates for days of wage

replacement (2 year period - logged). Males. 2005-06
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
ref

0.0

ref

-0.1
-0.2
-0.3
-0.4
-0.5
-0.6
-0.7
15 to 24
yrs

25 to 34
yrs

35 to 44
yrs

Victoria

45 to 54
yrs

55+ yrs

15 to 24
yrs

25 to 34
yrs

35 to 44
yrs

45 to 54
yrs

55+ yrs

British Columbia
11

Unadjusted regression estimates for days of wage

replacement (2 year period - logged). Females. 2005-06
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
-0.7

ref

15 to 24
yrs

25 to 34
yrs

35 to 44
yrs

Victoria

ref

45 to 54
yrs

55+ yrs

15 to 24
yrs

25 to 34
yrs

35 to 44
yrs

45 to 54
yrs

55+ yrs

British Columbia
12

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

13

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.
14

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
15

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
0.6
0.4
0.2
ref

0.0

ref

-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
15 to 24
yrs

25 to 34
yrs

35 to 44
yrs

45 to 54
yrs

BC (all claims)

55+ yrs

15 to 24
yrs

25 to 34
yrs

35 to 44
yrs

45 to 54
yrs

55+ yrs

BC (comparable claims)
18

Unadjusted regression estimates for days away from work

(logged). Males. Victoria. 2005-06
0.6
0.4
0.2
ref

0.0

ref

-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
15 to 24
yrs

25 to 34
yrs

35 to 44
yrs

45 to 54
yrs

Victoria (all claims)

55+ yrs

15 to 24
yrs

25 to 34
yrs

35 to 44
yrs

45 to 54
yrs

55+ yrs

Victoria (comparable claims)

19

Unadjusted regression estimates for days away from work

(logged). Males. Victoria and British Columbia. 2005-06
0.6
0.4
0.2
ref

0.0

ref

-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
15 to 24
yrs

25 to 34
yrs

35 to 44
yrs

45 to 54
yrs

Victoria (comparable claims)

55+ yrs

15 to 24
yrs

25 to 34
yrs

35 to 44
yrs

45 to 54
yrs

55+ yrs

BC (comparable claims)
20

Unadjusted regression estimates for days away from work

(logged). Females. British Columbia. 2005-06
0.6
0.4
0.2
ref

ref

0.0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
15 to 24
yrs

25 to 34
yrs

35 to 44
yrs

45 to 54
yrs

BC (all claims)

55+ yrs

15 to 24
yrs

25 to 34
yrs

35 to 44
yrs

45 to 54
yrs

55+ yrs

BC (comparable claims)
21

Unadjusted regression estimates for days away from work

(logged). Females. Victoria. 2005-06
0.6
0.4
0.2
ref

0.0

ref

-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
15 to 24
yrs

25 to 34
yrs

35 to 44
yrs

45 to 54
yrs

Victoria (all claims)

55+ yrs

15 to 24
yrs

25 to 34
yrs

35 to 44
yrs

45 to 54
yrs

55+ yrs

Victoria (comparable claims)

22

Unadjusted regression estimates for days away from work

(logged). Females. British Columbia. 2005-06
0.6
0.4
0.2
ref

0.0

ref

-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
15 to 24
yrs

25 to 34
yrs

35 to 44
yrs

45 to 54
yrs

Victoria (comparable claims)

55+ yrs

15 to 24
yrs

25 to 34
yrs

35 to 44
yrs

45 to 54
yrs

55+ yrs

BC (comparable claims)
23

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

24

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