Of the entire 48 million Americans that claim some level of hearing loss, 60 percent are presently in the workforce. That means millions of Americans head to work each day with less than optimal hearing.
We know that hearing loss adversely affects overall physical, social, and mental health, but what about the economic consequences? Does hearing loss impact salary, and does the treatment of hearing loss help?
The Better Hearing Institute set out to answer these questions in a study titled The Impact of Untreated Hearing Loss on Household Income. Here’s a concise review of the study, the results, and the ramifications.
The Study
The Better Hearing Institute (BHI) began by mailing a brief screening survey to 80,000 households across the US. This helped to identify around 16,000 people with hearing loss.
Working with the list of 16,000 people with hearing loss, more extensive surveys were delivered to the following two groups:
- A random sample of 3,000 individuals with hearing loss that currently own hearing aids.
- A random sample of 3,000 individuals with hearing loss that do not presently own hearing aids.
The seven page survey incorporated questions about demographics, hearing loss, hearing aid usage and satisfaction, future plans, and career information. Every respondent was also asked several questions about their hearing loss degree, which produced one of four classifications from mild to profound.
With all of this data, the researchers could now:
- Compare income to the extent of hearing loss
- Compare earnings to those who used hearing aids and those who did not
The results demonstrate that hearing loss has an effect on income
People with profound hearing loss were found, on average, to earn $12,000 less annually than those with mild hearing loss. The results also distinctly showed that as the degree of hearing loss increased, income fell proportionally.
And the total economic cost to society?
According to the study, the estimated cost of lost earnings due to untreated hearing loss in the United States is $122 billion, which results in an estimated $18 billion of uncollected federal taxes.
Having said that, all is not lost. The study also confirmed, most importantly, that wearing hearing aids was found to reduce the income effects of hearing loss by 50 percent.
Implications for workers with hearing loss
Does the use of hearing aids really result in a boost in income? Isn’t it a possibility that those that have a higher salary are simply in a better position to afford hearing aids, so are consequently more likely to own and use them?
It’s a legitimate question, but there’s good reason to think that wearing hearing aids can, in fact, increase income, through greater productivity. In regard to employment, hearing loss can:
- Take people out of the job market, or out of contention for promotion, producing higher levels of unemployment and underemployment.
- Cause people to make mistakes at work, limiting promotions.
- Create communication barriers, limiting productivity. Most jobs demand effective verbal communication, and this is assessed as a major aspect of job performance.
- Reduce overall social and mental well being, bringing about depression, fatigue, hindered cognition, and a proportionate drop in job performance.
For these reasons, treating your hearing loss will likely improve your job performance, and, as a result, your income potential.
What are your thoughts? Have you encountered problems at work caused by hearing loss, and have hearing aids helped?