Occupational differences in working life expectancy and working years lost in Nordic countries.

Area of Science:

• Occupational health
• Social epidemiology
• Labor economics

Background:

• Working life expectancy (WLE) varies significantly based on occupation and country.
• Understanding these differences is crucial for public health and social policy.
• Previous research highlights the need for country-specific analyses of occupational WLE.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate occupational disparities in working life expectancy (WLE) among employed individuals in Denmark, Finland, and Norway.
• To identify the primary reasons for lost working years (WYL) across different occupational groups and countries.

Main Methods:

• Utilized registry data from Denmark (N=2,383,657), Finland (N=1,266,705), and Norway (N=1,761,166) for the employed population.
• Estimated WLE for ages 30-65 using the Sullivan method (2015 data).
• Analyzed reasons for WYL (sickness absence, unemployment, disability retirement, old-age retirement) stratified by gender and major occupational groups (ISCO-88).

Main Results:

• Consistent occupational patterns in WLE were observed across the three Nordic countries.
• Legislators, senior officials, managers, and professionals generally exhibited higher WLE.
• Service, sales, and manual workers, particularly those in elementary occupations, showed lower WLE.
• Reasons for WYL differed by country: disability retirement in Denmark, unemployment in Finland, and sickness absence in Norway.

Conclusions:

• A common occupational hierarchy in WLE exists across Denmark, Finland, and Norway.
• While the occupational pattern is similar, the extent of WLE differences and the drivers of WYL vary significantly between these countries.
• Findings underscore the importance of tailored interventions addressing country-specific reasons for lost working years within occupational groups.