Policy Briefs on THE
ECONOMIC IMPACT OF HIV
Brief 6: Productivity and Employment of People Living with HIV
By Markus Haacker, Kate Harris, Gesine Meyer-Rath
21 January 2021
Key Points
- Early on, there were concerns that AIDS-related mortality would erode state governance and institutions and thus compromise economic development, but there is little evidence to suggest that such effects have been significant.
- HIV – especially at late stages of disease progression – results in reduced productivity and lower employment of people living with HIV, though the economy-wide effects are unclear.
- Treatment has been effective in restoring the productivity and – with some delay – employment of people living with HIV.
- Early access to treatment plausibly prevents spells of unemployment, which are an important cause of the adverse economic consequences of HIV.
Summary Briefs
The summary briefs provide an overview of three main areas of economic impact.
Master Slide Set
Policy Briefs
The policy briefs provide more detail on the evidence available on each of the topics.
1. The State of Programme Implementation to Reduce HIV Transmission & Aids-Related Mortality
2. Increased Health and Life Prospects and Their Economic Valuation
3. HIV, Population Dynamics and the Labour Force
4. Human Capital
5. Capital and Investment
6. Productivity and Employment of People Living with HIV
7. Economic Growth – Overview
8. Interactions Between HIV and Poverty
9. Disease Burden Across Population Sub-Groups
10. Trade-offs between Allocation to Health and Other Sectors
11. Domestic Public Funding for HIV
12. Trade-offs and Synergies between HIV and Other Health Objectives
13. Assessing Cost Effectiveness Across HIV and Health Interventions
14. External and Domestic Health Financing, and the Role of Public vs. Private Domestic Health Funding
15. Public and Private Provision of Health and HIV Services
16. Trade-offs within the HIV Budget
17. The Economics of HIV and of HIV Programmes in the Era of Covid-19
Brief 6: Productivity and Employment of People Living with HIV
By Markus Haacker, Kate Harris, Gesine Meyer-Rath
21 January 2021
Key Points
- Early on, there were concerns that AIDS-related mortality would erode state governance and institutions and thus compromise economic development, but there is little evidence to suggest that such effects have been significant.
- HIV – especially at late stages of disease progression – results in reduced productivity and lower employment of people living with HIV, though the economy-wide effects are unclear.
- Treatment has been effective in restoring the productivity and – with some delay – employment of people living with HIV.
- Early access to treatment plausibly prevents spells of unemployment, which are an important cause of the adverse economic consequences of HIV.
Technical Briefs
The technical briefs provide more detail on the evidence available on each of the topics.
1. The State of Programme Implementation to Reduce HIV Transmission & Aids-Related Mortality
2. Increased Health and Life Prospects and Their Economic Valuation
3. HIV, Population Dynamics and the Labour Force
4. Human Capital
5. Capital and Investment
6. Productivity and Employment of People Living with HIV
7. Economic Growth – Overview
8. Interactions Between HIV and Poverty
9. Disease Burden Across Population Sub-Groups
10. Trade-offs between Allocation to Health and Other Sectors
11. Domestic Public Funding for HIV
12. Trade-offs and Synergies between HIV and Other Health Objectives
13. Assessing Cost Effectiveness Across HIV and Health Interventions
14. External and Domestic Health Financing, and the Role of Public vs. Private Domestic Health Funding
15. Public and Private Provision of Health and HIV Services
16. Trade-offs within the HIV Budget
17. The Economics of HIV and of HIV Programmes in the Era of Covid-19
Wits Health Consortium, University of the Witwatersrand