Individual determinants of extended working lives: A systematic review of the literature
Main Article Content
Abstract
The extension of working lives (EWL) appears as a long-term transformation driven by the increase in longevity and the expansion of institutional incentives to postpone retirement. However, the increase in average retirement ages is being less intense and more heterogeneous than promised by pension reforms. The mismatch between structural and individual changes reinforces the interest of a precise knowledge of the influence of individual determinants on EWL. Based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses methodology (Page et al. 2021), this article provides a systematic review of literature with the objective of conceptualizing variants of EWL and systematizing empirical evidence of the influence of individual determinants on EWL. This review can be of benefit both for detecting the areas on which future research should focus and for guiding the discussions on potential pension system reforms while considering the heterogeneity of individuals’ profiles.
Metrics
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Since 2020 the International Journal of Ageing and Later Life uses a Creative Commons: Attribution license, which allows users to distribute the work and to reform or build upon it without the author's permission. Full reference to the author must be given.
References
Albanese, A., Cockx, B. & Thuy, Y. (2020). Working time reductions at the end of the career: Do they prolong the time spent in employment? Empirical Economics 59: 99–14. doi: 10.1007/s00181-019-01676-7
Axelrad, H. (2018). Early retirement and late retirement: Comparative analysis of 20 European countries. International Journal of Sociology 48(3): 231–250. doi: 10.1080/00207659.2018.1483004
Aysan, M. F. & Beaujot, R. (2009). Welfare regimes for aging populations: No single path for reform. Population and Development Review 35(4): 701–720. doi: 10.1111/j.1728-4457.2009.00305.x
Barslund, M. (2019). Policies for an Ageing Workforce: Work-Life Balance, Working Conditions and Equal Opportunities. Brussels: Centre for European Policy Studies.
Berglund, T., Seldén, D. & Halleröd, B. (2017). Factors affecting prolonged working life for the older workforce: The Swedish case. Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies 7(1): 19–36. doi: 10.18291/njwls.v7i1.81396
Boveda, I. & Metz, A. J. (2016). Predicting end-of-career transitions for baby boomers nearing retirement age. The Career Development Quarterly 64(2): 153–168. doi: 10.1002/cdq.12048
Brown, M., Pitt-Catsouphes, M., McNamara, T. K. & Besen, E. (2014). Returning to the workforce after retiring: A job demands, job control, social support perspective on job satisfaction. The International Journal of Human Resource Management 25(22): 3113–3133. doi: 10.1080/09585192.2014.919951
Burkert, C. & Hochfellner, D. (2017). Employment trajectories beyond retirement. Journal of Aging & Social Policy 29(2): 143–167. doi: 10.1080/08959420.2016.1213092
Cahill, K. E., Giandrea, M. D. & Quinn, J. F. (2008). A micro-level analysis of recent increases in labor force participation among older workers. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.1151450
Carlstedt, A. B., Brushammar, G., Bjursell, C., Nystedt, P. & Nilsson, G. (2018). A scoping review of the incentives for a prolonged work life after pensionable age and the importance of “bridge employment.” Work 60(2): 175–189. doi: 10.3233/WOR-182728
Cho, J., Lee, A. & Woo, K. (2016). A comparative study on retirement process in Korea, Germany, and the United States: Identifying determinants of retirement process. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development 83(4): 441–467. doi: 10.1177/0091415016657556
Congdon-Hohman, J. (2018). Retirement reversals and health insurance: The potential impact of the affordable care act. Public Finance Review 46(4): 583–608. doi: 10.1177/1091142116673146
De Preter, H., Van Looy, D. & Mortelmans, D. (2013). Individual and institutional push and pull factors as predictors of retirement timing in Europe: A multilevel analysis. Journal of Aging Studies 27(4): 299–307. doi: 10.1016/j.jaging.2013.06.003
De Preter, H., Van Looy, D. & Mortelmans, D. (2015). Retirement timing of dual-earner couples in 11 European countries? A comparison of cox and shared frailty models. Journal of Family and Economic Issues 36(3): 396–407. doi: 10.1007/s10834-014-9403-6
Dingemans, E. & Henkens, K. (2020). Job strain in working retirees in Europe: A latent class analysis. Ageing and Society 40(9): 2040–2060. doi: 10.1017/S0144686X19000473
Dingemans, E., Henkens, K. & van Solinge, H. (2017). Working retirees in Europe: Individual and societal determinants. Work, Employment and Society 31(6): 972–991. doi: 10.1177/0950017016664677
Dingemans, E. & Möhring, K. (2019). A life course perspective on working after retirement: What role does the work history play? Advances in Life Course Research 39: 23–33. doi: 10.1016/j.alcr.2019.02.004
Ebbinghaus, B. (2021). Inequalities and poverty risks in old age across Europe: The double-edged income effect of pension systems. Social Policy & Administration 55(3): 440–455. doi: 10.1111/spol.12683
European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. (2013). Work Preferences after 50 : 3rd EQLS Policy Brief. Luxembourg: Publications Office. doi: 10.2806/51644
European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. (2016). Extending Working Lives through Flexible Retirement Schemes: Partial Retirement. Luxembourg: Publications Office. doi: 10.2806/004233
European Social Survey. (2021) The Timing of Life. Top Results from Round 9 of European Social Survey. ESS Topline Result Series: 11. Available on https://www.europeansocialsurvey.org/docs/findings/ESS9_ toplines_issue_11_timing_life.pdf (Accessed: July 23, 2023)
Fasbender, U., Wang, M., Voltmer, J.-B. & Deller, J. (2016). The meaning of work for post-retirement employment decisions. Work, Aging and Retirement 2(1): 12–23. doi: 10.1093/workar/wav015
Finch, N. (2014). Why are women more likely than men to extend paid work? The impact of work–family life history. European Journal of Ageing 11(1): 31–39. doi: 10.1007/s10433-013-0290-8
Fisher, G. G., Chaffee, D. S. & Sonnega, A. (2016). Retirement timing: A review and recommendations for future research. Work, Aging and Retirement. 2(2): 230–261. doi: 10.1093/workar/waw001
Gstrein, M. (2023). Extended working life in Austria and the EU28–how do gender, health and life satisfaction relate to longer working life? What else matters? In T. Addabbo, P. Carney, Á.N. Léime, J. Spijker & S. Zrinščak (eds.), Well-Being and Extended Working Life (pp. 14–29). New York, NY: Routledge.
Gusenbauer, M. & Haddaway, N. R. (2020). Which academic search systems are suitable for systematic reviews or meta-analyses? Evaluating retrieval qualities of Google Scholar, PubMed, and 26 other resources. Research Synthesis Methods 11(2): 181–217. doi: 10.1002/ jrsm.1378
Haddaway, N. R., Collins, A. M., Coughlin, D. & Kirk, S. (2015). The role of Google Scholar in evidence reviews and its applicability to grey literature searching. PLoS One 10(9): e0138237. doi: 10.1371/journal. pone.0138237
Hansson, I., Henkens, K. & van Solinge, H. (2022). Motivational drivers of temporal dynamics in postretirement work. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B 78(1): 179–189. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbac130
Hellevik, T. & Herlofson, K. (2020). 67+ and still working: The importance of earlier job situation and retirement plans for extended careers. Nordisk Välfärdsforskning | Nordic Welfare Research 5(2): 95–108. doi: 10.18261/issn.2464-4161-2020-02-03
Hinrichs, K. (2021). Recent pension reforms in Europe: More challenges, new directions. An overview. Social Policy & Administration 55(3): 409– 422. doi: 10.1111/spol.12712
Hofäcker, D. & Naumann, E. (2015). The emerging trend of work beyond retirement age in Germany: Increasing social inequality? Zeitschrift Für Gerontologie Und Geriatrie 48(5): 473–479. doi: 10.1007/ s00391-014-0669-y
Kalenkoski, C. M. & McCarty, S. H. (2021). In or out or somewhere in between? The determinants of gradual retirement. Journal of Family and Economic Issues 42(2): 387–394. doi: 10.1007/s10834-020-09734-4
Kanabar, R. (2015). Post-retirement labour supply in England. The Journal of the Economics of Ageing 6: 123–132. doi: 10.1016/j.jeoa.2015.05.002
Kantarci, T. & Van Soest, A. (2008). Gradual retirement: Preferences and limitations. De Economist 156(2): 113–144. doi: 10.1007/s10645-008-9086-1
Kauppi, M., Prakash, K. C., Virtanen, M., Pentti, J., Aalto, V., Oksanen, T., Kivimäki, M., Vahtera, J. & Stenholm, S. (2021). Social relationships as predictors of extended employment beyond the pensionable age: A cohort study. European Journal of Ageing 18(4): 491–501. doi: 10.1007/ s10433-021-00603-z
Klaesson, J., Lopez, E. & Öner, Ö. (2018). Who works longer – And why? Regional and individual characteristics in the timing of retirement. Tijdschrift Voor Economische En Sociale Geografie 109(3): 350–370. doi: 10.1111/tesg.12295
Kuitto, K. & Helmdag, J. (2021). Extending working lives: How policies shape retirement and labour market participation of older workers. Social Policy & Administration 55(3): 423–439. doi: 10.1111/spol.12717
Lassen, A. J. & Vrangbæk, K. (2021). Retirement transitions in the 21st century: A scoping review of the changing nature of retirement in Europe. International Journal of Ageing and Later Life 15: 39–72. doi: 10.3384/ ijal.1652-8670.1501
Leinonen, T., Boets, I., Pletea, E., Vandenbroeck, S., Sivesind Mehlum, I., Hasselhorn, H. M. & De Wind, A. (2022). A conceptual framework addressing the complex labour market dynamics of the work-to-retirement process. European Journal of Ageing 19(4): 1631–1637. doi: 10.1007/ s10433-022-00704-3
Leinonen, T., Chandola, T., Laaksonen, M. & Martikainen, P. (2020). Socio-economic differences in retirement timing and participation in post-retirement employment in a context of a flexible pension age. Ageing and Society 40(2): 348–368. doi: 10.1017/S0144686X18000958
Lis, M., Boulhol, H. & Fujiki, Y. (2021). Recent pension reforms. In Pensions at a Glance 2021: OECD and G20 Indicators (pp. 15–82). OECD (Ed.). Paris: OECD Publishing. doi: 10.1787/9a567f6c-en
Madero-Cabib, I., Le Feuvre, N. & König, S. (2023). Gendered retirement pathways across lifecourse regimes. Ageing and Society 43(10): 2394–2423. doi: 10.1017/S0144686X21001781
McLaughlin, J. S. & Neumark, D. (2018). Barriers to later retirement for men: Physical challenges of work and increases in the full retirement age. Research on Aging 40(3): 232–256. doi: 10.1177/0164027517697114
Myck, M. (2015). Living longer, working longer: The need for a comprehensive approach to labour market reform in response to demographic changes. European Journal of Ageing 12(1): 3–5. doi: 10.1007/ s10433-014-0332-x
Myllyntausta, S., Virtanen, M., Pentti, J., Kivimäki, M., Vahtera, J. & Stenholm, S. (2022). Why do men extend their employment beyond pensionable age more often than women? A cohort study. European Journal of Ageing 19(3): 599–608. doi: 10.1007/s10433-021-00663-1
Ní Léime, Á., Ogg, J., Rašticová, M., Street, D., Krekula, C., Bédiová, M. & Madero-Cabib, I. (Eds.). (2020). Extended Working Life Policies: International Gender and Health Perspectives. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-40985-2
OECD. (2017). Flexible retirement in OECD countries. In Pensions at a Glance 2017: OECD and G20 Indicators (pp. 41–84). OECD (Ed.). Paris: OECD Publishing. doi: 10.1787/pension_glance-2017-5-en
OECD. (2019). Working Better with Age. Paris: OECD. doi: 10.1787/c4d4f66a-en
OECD. (2021). Life expectancy. In Pensions at a Glance 2021: OECD and G20 Indicators. Paris: OECD Publishing. doi: 10.1787/a957e891-en
OECD. (2024). Promoting Career Choices for Longer Working Lifes: Stepping Up Not Stepping Out. Paris: OECD Publishing. doi: 10.1787/1ef9a0d0-en
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., McGuinness, L. A., Stewart, L. A., Thomas, J., Tricco, A. C., Welch, V. A., Whiting, P. & Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ 372: n71. doi: 10.1136/bmj.n71
Pengcharoen, C. & Shultz, K. S. (2010). The influences on bridge employment decisions. International Journal of Manpower 31(3): 322–336. doi: 10.1108/01437721011050602
Pettersson, J. (2014). Instead of bowling alone? Unretirement of pensioners in Sweden. International Journal of Manpower 35(7): 1016–1037. doi: 10.1108/IJM-09-2012-0136
Phillipson, C. (2019). “Fuller” or “extended?” Working lives: Critical perspectives on changing transitions form work to employment. Ageing and Society 39(3): 629–650. doi: 10.1017/S0144686X18000016
Platts, L. G., Corna, L. M., Worts, D., Mcdonough, P., Price, D. & Glaser, K. (2019). Returns to work after retirement: A prospective study of unretirement in the United Kingdom. Ageing and Society 39(3): 439–464. doi: 10.1017/S0144686X17000885
Pleau, R. L. (2010). Gender differences in postretirement employment. Research on Aging 32(3): 267–303. doi: 10.1177/0164027509357706
Qi, H., Scott, K. & Bengtsson, T. (2019). Extending working life: Experiences from Sweden, 1981–2011. Vienna Yearbook of Population Research 1: 99–120. doi: 10.1553/populationyearbook2019s099
Radl, J. (2013). Retirement Timing and Social Stratification: A Comparative Study of Labor Market Exit and Age Norms in Western Europe. London: Versita.
Ratten, V. (2019). Older entrepreneurship: A literature review and research agenda. Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy 13(1/2): 178–195. doi: 10.1108/JEC-08-2018-0054
Smeaton, D., Di Rosa, M., Principi, A. & Butler, Z. (2018). Reverse retirement – A mixed methods study of returning to work in England, Italy and the United States: Propensities, predictors and preferences. International Journal of Ageing and Later Life 12(1): 5–40. doi: 10.3384/ ijal.1652-8670.17360
Szinovacz, M. E. (2012). A Multilevel Perspective for Retirement Research. Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199746521.013.0070
Topa, G., Alcover, C.-M., Moriano, J. A. & Depolo, M. (2014). Bridge employment quality and its impact on retirement adjustment: A structural equation model with SHARE panel data. Economic and Industrial Democracy 35(2): 225–244. doi: 10.1177/0143831X12475242
Turek, K., Henkens, K. & Kalmijn, M. (2022). Gender and educational inequalities in extending working lives: Late-life employment trajecto¬ries across three decades in seven countries. Work, Aging and Retirement 10(2): 100–122. doi: 10.1093/workar/waac021
Virtanen, M., Myllyntausta, S., Kauppi, M., Kivimäki, M., Pentti, J., Ervasti, J., Prakash, K. C., Vahtera, J. & Stenholm, S. (2022). Trajectories of worktime control from midlife to retirement and working beyond retirement age. Work, Aging and Retirement 8(3): 273–281. doi: 10.1093/ workar/waab023
Weber, D. & Loichinger, E. (2022). Live longer, retire later? Developments of healthy life expectancies and working life expectancies between age 50–59 and age 60–69 in Europe. European Journal of Ageing 19(1): 75–93. doi: 10.1007/s10433-020-00592-5
Zhao, L. & Burge, G. (2021). Retirement, unretirement, and housing wealth during the great recession. The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics 62(3): 342–369. doi: 10.1007/s11146-020-09753-w