The analysis shows that an HIV diagnosis has immediate and enduring consequences for the labor market position of patients. On average individuals lose 3,584 euros in annual income following a diagnosis which represents a nine percent decline compared to their earnings before the diagnosis. Furthermore the probability of being employed drops by four percent and the total number of work hours decreases by five percent. One of the most striking findings is the sharp increase in reliance on social security as the probability of receiving disability or sickness benefits surges by 46 percent after the diagnosis.
VU researchers Wendy Janssens and Menno Pradhan worked alongside a team from the UvA and the Amsterdam Research Centre for Health Economics and Management to apply labor economics methodologies to medical datasets. For the first time medical records from Stichting hiv monitoring were linked with national labor market data from Statistics Netherlands. Professor Menno Pradhan emphasizes that this interdisciplinary approach reveals the true societal costs of the disease. He notes that the collaboration between economists and medical professionals is essential for generating insights that would remain hidden using medical data alone.
The study also draws a critical distinction between a timely diagnosis and a late stage diagnosis where the immune system is already significantly weakened. While negative effects are present in both groups the impact is considerably more severe for those diagnosed late. In this group the probability of requiring disability benefits rises by 60 percent compared to 37 percent for those diagnosed early. Additionally the decline in employment probability is twice as high for individuals with a late stage diagnosis.
These findings serve as a powerful argument for strengthening HIV prevention policies and early detection initiatives in the Netherlands. The researchers find it particularly noteworthy that even with a timely diagnosis where physical health impacts are often minimized by medication the economic consequences remain significant. This suggests that broader societal factors such as stigma or psychological pressure in the workplace continue to affect careers. The study aims to inform policy improvements that address these less apparent yet profound consequences of living with HIV.