Intention to Delay Retirement and Its Influencing Factors Among Near-Retirement Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study

The ageing nursing workforce poses a growing challenge to healthcare systems worldwide. Delaying retirement among experienced nurses has been proposed as a potential workforce strategy, yet empirical evidence from China remains limited, particularly from a management-oriented perspective under ongoing retirement-age reforms.

To examine the prevalence of delayed retirement intention and to identify individual, occupational, and organisational factors associated with such intention among near-retirement nurses in Guangzhou, China.

A theory-informed cross-sectional survey was conducted from May to August 2025 among 298 nurses aged ≥ 45 years from 37 hospitals in Guangzhou. Guided by an integrated push-pull and job demands-resources framework, a structured questionnaire measured sociodemographic and work characteristics, economic and family stress, job satisfaction and occupational burnout. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, nonparametric tests, Spearman correlation and ordinal logistic regression.

Only 13.4% of near-retirement nurses expressed willingness to delay retirement, whereas 38.3% were unwilling. In multivariable ordinal logistic regression, contract-based employment, higher professional title, greater economic and family stress and lower occupational burnout were independently associated with higher levels of delayed retirement intention.

Near-retirement nurses demonstrated a generally low intention to delay retirement. Organisational and employment-related factors were prominently associated with delayed retirement intention, underscoring the importance of work-system conditions in shaping late-career retention.

The findings suggest that modifiable organisational factors-such as occupational burnout, late-career role design and employment arrangements-are associated with delayed retirement intention. These areas may represent potential points of attention for nursing management when considering strategies to support the retention of experienced nurses under retirement-age reform.