Due to copyright issues, an electronic copy of the thesis must be ordered from the faculty. For the faculty to have time to process the order, the order must be received by the faculty at the latest 2 days before the public defence. Orders received later than 2 days before the defence will not be processed. After the public defence, please address any inquiries regarding the thesis to the candidate.
Trial Lecture – time and place
See Trial Lecture.
Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Senior Researcher Solveig Osborg Ose, SINTEF (Foundation for Industrial and Technical Research),
- Second opponent: Senior Researcher Thomas Lund, Holbæk Hospital, Denmark
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Professor Bård Natvig, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
Professor emertius Gunnar Tellnes, University of Oslo
Principal Supervisor
Leading Senior Scientist Ingrid Sivesind Mehlum, STAMI - The National Institute of Occupational Health in Norway
Summary
The Norwegian Agreement on a More Inclusive Working Life (IA Agreement) is an initiative by the Norwegian government and organisations representing employers and employees. The aim of the IA Agreement is to reduce withdrawal from work, including by reducing sickness absence. It is hard to assess the effect of the IA Agreement with conventional methods.
The aim of this thesis was therefore to use causal methods for observational (registry-based) data in the assessment of the IA Agreement’s effect. The three studies considered prevalence and duration of sickness absence related to musculoskeletal and psychological diagnoses, work-related outcomes after return to work from a sickness absence, and work-related outcomes among pregnant women.
The effect estimates in the studies were small but indicated that more individuals working in companies with an IA Agreement had a reduced risk of exiting work through unemployment/economic inactivity, though they also had an increased prevalence/risk of sickness absence. In addition, pregnant women working in IA companies were more likely to be in work in the second trimester compared to pregnant women in companies without an IA Agreement. Though individuals in companies with an IA Agreement tended to have a higher risk of sickness absence, there were indications that the duration may be reduced relative to employees in companies without an IA Agreement. Results varied considerably depending on outcome, gender, industry, and diagnosis where sickness absence was considered.
Overall, the results indicate that the IA Agreement may contribute to keeping individuals in work and preventing withdrawal, but that this may result in higher levels of sickness absence. The measures included in the IA Agreement may also be more useful for some groups than for others.
Additional information
Contact the research support staff.