High physical work demands and working life expectancy in Denmark

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Public Health Policy
• Sociology of Work

Background:

• Rising elderly populations in Europe necessitate reforms to statutory retirement ages.
• Increased working life may be challenging for individuals in physically demanding occupations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of high physical work demands on working life expectancy (WLE).
• To analyze the relationship between physical labor and years of sickness absence, unemployment, and disability pension.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a job exposure matrix (JEM) to assess physical work demands in 1.6 million Danish workers.
• Employed longitudinal national registers for outcome data over a 4-year follow-up period.
• Estimated WLE using a multistate proportional hazards model.

Main Results:

• Individuals with high physical work demands exhibited significantly lower WLE compared to those with low demands.
• At age 30, women in high-demand jobs faced 3.1 fewer working years, 11 more months of sickness absence, and 16 more months of unemployment.
• Men aged 30 in high-demand jobs experienced 2.0 fewer working years, 12 more months of sickness absence, and 8 more months of unemployment.

Conclusions:

• High physical work demands are a significant risk factor for reduced working life and increased social welfare utilization.
• Findings are crucial for identifying high-risk occupations and informing political decisions on statutory retirement ages.