Determinants of job continuity among older workers: a mixed-methods research in Japan

This study aims to determine the factors that encourage older workers to continue working. This study had an exploratory sequential design using a mixed-methods approach, including interviews and questionnaire surveys. In the interview survey, we targeted 30 workers aged between 60-65 across three manufacturing companies. After using the results of the content analysis in the interviews, we conducted an online questionnaire survey with 1,500 workers aged between 60-89 across the country. We analyzed whether the 15 factors were related to intention to continue working using logistic regression analysis. We identified factors affecting job continuity from three perspectives: individual, company, and life. We determined several factors: health condition, job performance, self-esteem, conservatism, employment system, workload, medical insurance and welfare programs, monetary and non-monetary rewards, relationships, attachment to the organization, distance between living and work, social support, economic situation, and employment policy. In the questionnaire survey, some factors had no relationship with job continuity, including conservatism, employment systems, monetary rewards, and the distance between living and work. Employers and policymakers can use the findings to consider appropriate ways of supporting older workers.