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Occupational class and working beyond the retirement age: a cohort study
Marianna Virtanen1, Tuula Oksanen, Jaana Pentti
1Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, P.O. Box 40, FI-00251 Helsinki, Finland. marianna.virtanen@ttl.fi.
Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health
|May 16, 2017
Summary
Higher occupational classes are twice as likely to work past retirement age. This is linked to lighter physical jobs, better work time control, and higher perceived work ability in these roles.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Occupational Health
- Sociology of Work
Background:
- Understanding factors influencing extended working lives is crucial for workforce planning and individual well-being.
- Occupational class is a significant determinant of health and socioeconomic status, potentially impacting retirement decisions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate occupational class disparities in working beyond the mandatory retirement age.
- To identify contributing factors, such as physical workload, work time control, and perceived work ability, to these occupational differences.
Main Methods:
- A prospective cohort study of 5331 Finnish municipal employees was conducted.
- Data were collected through surveys and linked to national health and pension registers.
- Occupational class was categorized into four groups: managers/professionals, lower non-manual, skilled manual, and elementary occupations.
Main Results:
- 17.3% of participants worked beyond the pensionable age.
- Lower grade non-manual (RR 2.03) and managers/professionals (RR 1.79) had a significantly higher probability of working beyond retirement age compared to elementary workers.
- Physical workload, work time control, and perceived work ability explained a substantial portion of these occupational differences.
Conclusions:
- Higher occupational classes are associated with a greater likelihood of working beyond retirement age.
- Physically light jobs, better work time control, and higher perceived work ability are key factors mediating this association.
- These findings highlight the importance of job characteristics in enabling longer working lives across different occupational groups.
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