Population aging and working hour impacts on occupational accidents: evidence from Japan

Population aging is expected to challenge many developed and emerging countries in the coming years. Occupational accidents (OA) and their relationship with population aging have become issues of interest in these countries. This study proposes a theoretical macroeconomic model to investigate the impact of factors influencing OA based on a labor supply theoretical framework. An autoregressive distributed lag-bounds testing approach was employed to empirically estimate the proposed model using data from Japan from 1961 to 2019. The results confirmed the positive impacts of aging labor and average working hours on OA. On the other hand, investment in industrial accident prevention measures significantly reduced OA. The results shed light on the effects of population aging on the labor market and provide practical policy recommendations.

Automated summary

Population aging is expected to pose challenges for many developed and emerging countries in the future. This study examines the relationship between occupational accidents (OA) and population aging, and proposes a macroeconomic model to analyze the factors influencing OA. Using data from Japan from 1961 to 2019, the study finds that aging labor and longer working hours have a positive impact on OA, while investment in industrial accident prevention measures reduces OA. These findings provide insights into the effects of population aging on the labor market and offer practical policy recommendations.