The DemoSoc seminars at Universitat Pompeu Fabra aims to gather all researchers at UPF and beyond working on the fields of demography and sociology (social stratification).

Next DemoSoc Seminar of this course will take place on:

April, 21th

12.00 h 

 Room  20.237 Jaume I

The Timing of Cancer Onset and its Labour-Market Consequences

Sonja Spitzer, University of Vienna.

Abstract: Cancer survival has improved substantially, but the disease often leaves lasting social, health, and economic consequences. This study examines how the timing of a first cancer diagnosis shapes life-course trajectories, focusing on employment, earnings, and survival. It uses newly linked Austrian administrative data combining cancer registry records, mortality data, social security histories, and tax records, making it possible to follow individuals before and after diagnosis and to relate health shocks to labour-market outcomes and survival. The results show marked differences by age at onset: younger individuals are more likely to return to work, mid-career diagnoses are associated with the largest employment and earnings losses, and later diagnoses more often coincide with labour-force exit and retirement. Outcomes also differ by tumour stage, cancer site, gender, and socioeconomic status, which may itself shape the timing of cancer onset. The findings highlight that the impact of cancer is shaped not only by medical factors, but also by the timing of onset and its interaction with institutional and social contexts.