Nonmarket Productivity among Working-Age Disability Beneficiaries: Results from the American Time Use Survey

Carrie L. Shandra, Stony Brook University, State University of New York (SUNY)

Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries experience much lower rates of employment than non-beneficiaries. While formal employment patterns among working-age disability beneficiaries are well understood, less is known about how this population spends their time in other forms of productive behavior that may link them to the paid labor market (including job searching or other income-generating activity), contribute to home production (including household labor and care work), facilitate skill building and social inclusion (including volunteer work), or increase their human capital (including educational or training activities). This study uses American Time Use Survey data to examine these trends. Results indicate that beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries differ significantly in their work-related, education-related, and volunteer-related time use. However, no differences emerge in time spent on household labor and non-household care work. Furthermore, overall differences in time spent in non-market production decrease as health and education increase.