A new study published in Nature Communications has examined the economic effects of living with HIV in the Netherlands. The research, conducted with support from the Amsterdam Research Centre for Health Economics and Management (ARCHEM), used data from Stichting hiv monitoring (SHM) and Statistics Netherlands to compare labor market outcomes between 5,960 people diagnosed with HIV from 2010 to 2022 and a control group of 59,600 individuals from the general population.
The findings indicate that after an HIV diagnosis, individuals are four percent less likely to be employed, work five percent fewer hours, and experience a nine percent drop in income. There is also a notable increase—46 percent—in the likelihood of receiving disability insurance or sickness benefits. On average, annual earnings decline by about €3,584 following diagnosis, compared to a pre-diagnosis average income of €40,135.
The study also analyzed whether these impacts differ depending on when the diagnosis occurs. A late-stage diagnosis refers to cases where HIV has already caused significant damage to an individual's immune system.
"Overall, we found that the reductions in individuals' labor market performance were significant for people with HIV, regardless of the stage of the infection at diagnosis. The effect is however more pronounced for individuals with a late HIV diagnosis," Tuiu said.
People diagnosed at a later stage see their probability of employment decrease by about six percent compared to three percent for those diagnosed earlier. Work hours fall by six percent versus five percent respectively. The likelihood of receiving disability or sickness benefits increases by around 60 percent after a late diagnosis versus 37 percent for timely diagnoses. Income drops by roughly nine percent for both groups.
Prof. dr. Marc van der Valk, chair of Stichting hiv monitoring and specialist infectious diseases at Amsterdam University Medical Center stated: "These are first of their kind results that quantify the economic impact of living with HIV in the Netherlands. As demonstrated, the impact is significant, and to our surprise also present in people who are diagnosed timely. While it is well-known that the impact on physical health is usually minimal in the case of a timely diagnosis, these less-apparent effects are new and need to be shared widely to inform and drive improvements in existing prevention policies to strengthen initiatives aimed at reducing new HIV infections. Furthermore, early detection remains essential since the impact of a late diagnosis was larger."
Prof. dr. Menno Pradhan from UvA and VU School of Economics concluded: "This research demonstrates what interdisciplinary collaboration can achieve. By applying methods commonly used in labor economics to data from Stichting hiv monitoring—an organization with in-depth knowledge of the HIV epidemic in the Netherlands—we are able to generate new insights into the broader consequences of living with HIV."
