The Effect of the Opioid Crisis on Job Vacancy Duration
Publication Date
4-16-2019
Grant Type
Early Career Research Award
Description
Opioid addition and mortalities in the United States have reached unprecedented levels and the effects are far-reaching. While pain relief may allow individuals to enter the workforce and be more productive, opioid dependence and addiction an hinder worker productivity and limit opportunities for affected individuals. The goal of this project is to provide insight into the relationship between opioid abuse and the ability of employers to fill vacant jobs. We pair controlled substance data from the Drug Enforcement Agency and employer-sponsored drug testing positivity rates with proprietary job vacancy information constructed from postings on popular job listing websites to estimate the relationship between prescription opioid exposure and the time needed to fill a job opening.