Unequal Returns of Employment on Self-Rated Health: Asian-White Differences

Background Previous research has shown that employment status is one of the most powerful socioeconomic resources utilized to promote health and well-being. However, racial and ethnic minorities often experience diminished returns of socioeconomic resources compared to non-Hispanic Whites. This analysis explores the association between employment status and self-rated health among Asians and non-Hispanic Whites, and whether race or ethnicity moderates this association. Methods We used data from the 2016 National Asian American Survey, a nationally representative survey of Asians from ten ethnic backgrounds. We measured the association between employment status and self-rated health, using race and ethnicity as the primary moderators. Age, gender, income, education, nativity status, and English proficiency were used as controls. Pooled (by race) and stratified (by ethnicity) logistic regressions were estimated. Results The pooled logistic regressions showed that employment was associated with lower odds of poorer self-rated health among Asians and Whites. Race, however, moderated this relationship, indicating a stronger protective effect of employment for Whites. In the stratified logistic regressions, employment was not associated with lower odds of poorer self-rated health across all of the assessed Asian ethnic subgroups. Ethnicity moderated the association between employment and self-rated health, suggesting a stronger protective effect of employment for Whites than for Chinese, Hmong, Koreans, Japanese, and Filipinos. Conclusion The protective health benefits of employment do not operate the same for Whites and Asians. Discrimination and unequal labor market and working conditions may weaken the positive health returns of employment for Asians compared to their White counterparts.