Has increased focus on vocational rehabilitation led to an increase in young employees' return to work after work-related disorders?

The aim of this study was to determine whether the large investments in voc ational rehabilitation made in Sweden during the 1990s had improved the lev el of return to work for young employees and to study the factors predictin g return to work. The study population comprised all employees under 30 yea rs of age whose reports on work-related disorders were under consideration at regional social insurance offices in Vasterbotten county in 1990 and 199 4 (n = 266). Between these years, increased efforts were made by the Swedis h government to improve vocational rehabilitation. Data was collected from the register and by means of questionnaires. It was found that employees wi th musculoskeletal disorders were more likely to return to work during peri ods of intensive vocational rehabilitation. No increase in the level of ret urn to work was apparent if all disorders were considered. Men showed a hig her level of return to work than women, although women were better educated .