Memory function and early exit from paid employment through different pathways among ageing European workers

Understanding memory function's role in early workforce exit is key in supporting sustainable employment among ageing workers. This study examined the impact of memory function on early exit from paid employment, analyzed changes in memory function before, during and after such transitions, and assessed memory function trajectories in relation to the presence or absence of effort-reward imbalance at work.

This study included 16 339 respondents from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) between age 50 and the country-specific retirement age. The effects of objective and subjective memory functioning on early exit were assessed using Cox proportional hazards with Fine-Gray sub distribution models. Changes in memory function before and after a transition to non-employment were assessed using generalized linear mixed-effects models. These changes were described and compared based on exposure to job effort-reward imbalance.

Workers with poor subjective memory were 2.3 times more likely to exit employment prematurely due to disability ([sub-distribution hazard ratio (SHR) 2.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.77-3.00] and 1.3 times more likely to exit through unemployment (SHR 1.29, 95% CI 1.06-1.55). Workers with low objective memory were 1.6 times more likely to exit through unemployment (SHR 1.56, 95% CI 1.30-1.87). Subjective memory generally declined prior to, and during early exit from paid employment. While subjective memory generally improved post-exit, objective memory function declined after exiting. An accelerated decline in objective memory functioning was noted among early retirees who had been exposed to effort-reward imbalance at work (β -0.45, standard error 0.16).

Workers with poor memory function are at higher risk of early involuntary exit from paid employment. Promoting memory function and balancing job efforts and rewards may help mitigate the risk of a premature exit.