Work Ability Index (WAI)

Evidence based method for assessment of

human resources related to work

Society
Relatives,
friends

Family
Work Ability
Work

Environment
Content and Demands
Community and Organisation
Management and Leadership
Values
Attitudes
Motivation
Competence
Knowledge
Skills
Health
Functional Capacities

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health / Prof. Dr. Juhani Ilmarinen

Work Ability Index

7 Items

Current work ability compared with the

lifetime best
Work ability in relation to the demands of
the job
Number of current diseases diagnosed by
physician
Estimated workimpairment due to diseases
Sick leave during the past year (12 months)
Own prognosis of work ability two years
from now
ICOH 2003

Mental resourses
Lea Katajarinne
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health / Prof. Dr. Juhani Ilmarinen

1. Current work ability compared with the

life time best

Assume that your work ability at its best has a value of

10 points. How many points would you give to your
current work ability?
(0 means that you cannot currently work at all)
0

completely unable
to work

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health / Prof. Dr. Juhani Ilmarinen

10
work ability
at its best

Number of current diseases diagnosed by

a physician
In the following list, mark your diseases or injuries. Also indicate
whether a physician has diagnosed or treated these diseases. For
each disease, therefore, there can be 2, 1 or no alternatives circled.
yes
own
physician's
opinion diagnosis
Musculoskeletal disease
05 disorder of the upper back or cervical
spine, repeated instances of pain ................. 2
1
06 disorder of the lower back, repeated
instances of pain ...................................... 2
1
07 (sciatica) pain radiating from back into
the leg .................................................... 2
1
08 musculoskeletal disorder affecting the
limbs (hands, feet), repeated instances
of pain ..................................................... 2
1
09 rheumatoid arthritis
10 other musculoskeletal disorder, what? ........... 2
1
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health / Prof. Dr. Juhani Ilmarinen

Average Work Ability Index by age

50

45

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health / Prof. Dr. Juhani Ilmarinen

64

62

60

58

56

54

52

50

48

46

44

42

40

38

36

34

32

30

28

26

24

22

20

18

WAI in Mittleren und Kleinbetrieben

Arbeitsbewltigungs-Index (ABI)
ABI-Kategorie

ABI-Werte
50

49

sehr gut

45
43

40
36

35

gut
mig

30
27

25

schlecht

20
15
Carrot project 1998, N=729
10
7

5
15

25

35

45

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health / Prof. Dr. Juhani Ilmarinen

55

65

Alter
7

WAI
(7-49)

44
42
40
38
36
34
16+

30+

45+

age group

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health / Prof. Dr. Juhani Ilmarinen

physician
registered nurse
nursing aid
protestant priest
catholic priest
other academic
administration, low
administration, med.
Firemen
administration, high
Kindergarten teacher
social worker
manual worker
teacher
leaders, engineers
others
8

Average Work Ability Index by industrial branch. Adjusted by

gender and age, (n=3704)
Financing, insurance
Telecommunication
Electronics industry
Health services
Education
Trade
Other services
Other industry
Civil service
Building industry
Social services
Transport
Metal industry
Wood industry
Farming
37

38

39

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health / Prof. Dr. Juhani Ilmarinen

40

41

42

Work Ability Index classes by industrial branch, (n=3704)

Other services
Civil service
Social services
Health services
Education
Financing, insurance
Telecommunication

Poor
Moderate

Transport

Good
Excellent

Trade
Other industry
Building industry
Metal industry
Electronics industry
Wood industry
Farming
0%

10 %

20 %

30 %

40 %

50 %

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health / Prof. Dr. Juhani Ilmarinen

60 %

70 %

80 %

90 %

100 %

10

Work ability index (7-49) among working men and women by older age
groups
Gould and Polvinen, 2006

40
39
38
37
men
women

36
35
34
33
50-54

55-59

60-64

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health / Prof. Dr. Juhani Ilmarinen

11

Work ability compared with lifetime best (0-10) by life phase, 55-64
years
Gould and Polvinen, 2006

9
8
7
6
5

All
Low educ
Disease

4
3
2
1
0
Work

PUnempl
pension

WDpens

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health / Prof. Dr. Juhani Ilmarinen

Other
pens
12

Correlations between Work Ability Index items in two age

groups (r2 > 0.30)

Age

18-29

55-64

WAI item

1.

1.

2. Work ability in relation to

job demands

0.41

0.60

2.

3.

0.60

0.53

0.32

5. Sick leave during the past

year

0.39

0.31

0.51

6. Own prognosis of work

ability two years from now

0.51

0.52

0.52

0.45

0.41

3. Number of current
diseases
4. Work impairment due to
diseases

7. Mental resources

4.

0.32

0.31

0.32

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health / Prof. Dr. Juhani Ilmarinen

13

Translations of WAI in 2006

Finnish ***
Swedish ***
English ***
German ***
Dutch **
Portuguese ***
Danish *
Chinese **
Estonian **
Russian *
Hebrew **
Italian **
French **

Japanese **
Polish **
Latvian *
Spanish **
Norwegian **
Serbian **
Hungary **
Slovenia **
Thai *
Korean *
Taiwanese (*)
Vietnamese (*)

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health / Prof. Dr. Juhani Ilmarinen

14

Next International Symposium on Work

Ability

3rd International Symposium on Work

Ability, October 22-24, 2007;
Hanoi, Vietnam ( malo-j-l@med.uoehu.ac.jp )

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health / Prof. Dr. Juhani Ilmarinen

15