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Prolonging Working Life among Senior Workers

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 30351

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Lars L. Andersen

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National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark
Interests: epidemiological studies to investigate risk factors for sickness absence and disability pension; randomized controlled trials with physical exercise programs and participatory ergonomics to prevent and reduce back or neck pain and to improve work ability and wellbeing; laboratory studies with physiological measurement to study responses to office work as well as heavy and fatiguing work; healthy senior working life

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue ‘Prolonging Working Life among Senior Workers’ in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is open for submission of manuscripts. This peer-reviewed scientific journal publishes articles and communications in the interdisciplinary area of environmental health sciences and public health. For detailed information on the journal, go to https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph.

Due to demographic changes in most parts of the world, sometimes referred to as the ‘ageing society’, there is a strong political drive to maintain the labour force by prolonging working life, for example through increasing the retirement age. However, individual retirement intentions and the timing of retirement is an outcome of complex and dynamic processes that may not be in line with the intentions of political reforms. Factors stimulating early retirement from the labour market are known as PUSH, PULL and JUMP, and factors stimulating late retirement are known as STAY and STUCK.

Some senior workers are involuntarily pushed out of the labour market before time, e.g. due to poor health, high work demands, or age discrimination (PUSH factors). Others may choose retire early due to attractive retirement schemes and/or norms and conventions (PULL factors) or due to the need to realize potentials, wishes, and needs, e.g. travelling the world or spending time with the family (JUMP factors).

Others choose to retire late, e.g. because of a fulfilling job and good colleagues (STAY factors). Yet again, others may feel forced to work to a high age, e.g. due to economic needs, even though they have poor health and would prefer to retire (STUCK factors).

This special issue invites manuscripts concerning or influencing push, pull, jump, stay and stuck factors for labour market participation among senior workers. This could for example include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

Physical/ergonomic work demands
Psychosocial work factors
Positive factors (wellbeing, inspiring work, good social climate etc)
Senior policies at the workplace
Life-long learning (competencies and continuing education/training of skills)
Country specific labour market policies on age (e.g. early retirement, unemployment)
Age-discrimination
Gradual retirement (e.g. possibility for reduced working time or responsibility)
New technologies, digitalization
Lifestyle
Health

Prof. Dr. Lars L. Andersen
Guest Editor

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Ageing
Occupational health
Public health
Senior worker
Sustainable employment
Workplace

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Research

14 pages, 912 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Gender Differences in Associations between Biomechanical and Psychosocial Work Exposures and Age of Withdrawal from Paid Employment among Older Workers

by Karina Undem, Taina Leinonen, Petter Kristensen, Suzanne L. Merkus, Rachel L. Hasting, Jon Michael Gran and Ingrid S. Mehlum

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(17), 10563; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710563 - 24 Aug 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1617

Abstract

Background: Work exposures are known predictors of withdrawal from employment, but the associations between work exposures and withdrawal may vary with gender. This study evaluated gender differences in associations between biomechanical and psychosocial work exposures and age of withdrawal from paid employment among older workers in Norway. Methods: 77,558 men and 67,773 women (born 1949–1953) were followed from age 62 until withdrawal from paid employment or end of follow-up in 2016 (up to five years follow-up). Information about eight biomechanical and seven psychosocial exposures was obtained from a gender-specific job exposure matrix. Using Cox regression, the difference in mean estimated time until withdrawal between non-exposed and exposed was calculated for each gender and work exposure separately. Results: The largest gender difference was found for high psychological demands. Among men, the non-exposed withdrew earlier than the exposed (−3.66 months (95% CI: −4.04–−3.25 months)), and contrary among women (0.71 (0.28–1.10)), resulting in a gender difference of 4.37 (3.81–4.97) months. Gender differences were also found for monotonous work (4.12 (3.51–4.69) months), hands above shoulder height (2.41 (1.76–3.10) months), and high iso-strain (2.14 (1.38–2.95) months). Conclusions: There were observed gender differences in the associations between some biomechanical and psychosocial work exposures and mean age of withdrawal from paid employment among older workers. However, the results are likely affected by the selection of who remains in the workforce at age 62 and should be interpreted accordingly. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prolonging Working Life among Senior Workers)

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14 pages, 1067 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Working Life Patterns in a Swedish Twin Cohort: Age-Related Sequences of Sickness Absence, Disability Pension, Unemployment, and Premature Death during Working Life

by Annina Ropponen, Pontus Josefsson, Petri Böckerman, Karri Silventoinen, Jurgita Narusyte, Mo Wang and Pia Svedberg

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(17), 10549; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710549 - 24 Aug 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2359

Abstract

We aimed to investigate sustainable working life via age-related sequences of sickness absence (SA), disability pension (DP), unemployment (UE), premature death, and the influence of individual characteristics, accounting for familial confounding. The sample included monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) same-sexed twin pairs with register data (n = 47,450) that were followed for 10 years in four age cohorts: 26–35 (n = 9892), 36–45 (n = 10,620), 46–55 (n = 12,964) and 56–65 (n = 13,974). A sequence analysis was done in a 7-element state space: 1. “Sustainable working life”: SA/DP 0–30 days and UE 0–90 days; 2. “Unemployment >90 days”: SA/DP 0–30 days and UE > 90 days; 3. “Moderate SA/DP”: SA/DP 30–180 days; 4. “Almost full year of SA/DP”: SA/DP 180–365 days; 5. “Full year of SA/DP”: SA/DP ≥ 365 days; 6. Death; 7. Old-age pension. The largest cluster had a sustainable working life and never experienced states 2–6 (34–59%). Higher education and being married predicted a lower likelihood of experiencing states 2–6. The MZ twin pairs (vs. DZ) were more often in the same cluster suggesting the role of genetic factors. To conclude, the sustainable working life was the largest cluster group. Few individuals had prolonged periods of interruptions of sustainable working life meriting actions, especially in early adulthood for interventions to support workability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prolonging Working Life among Senior Workers)

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13 pages, 1034 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Financial Reasons for Working beyond the Statutory Retirement Age: Risk Factors and Associations with Health in Late Life

by Denise Burkhalter, Aylin Wagner, Sonja Feer, Frank Wieber, Andreas Ihle and Isabel Baumann

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(17), 10505; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710505 - 23 Aug 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2249

Abstract

Despite an increasing trend of working life prolongation, little is known about the risk factors for financial reasons for working beyond the statutory retirement age (SRA), and how these reasons relate to health. The present study examined (1) the determinants of working beyond the SRA, (2) the workers’ self-reported reasons for working beyond the SRA, and (3) the association between these reasons and health in late life. Cross-sectional data of 1241 individuals from the Swiss survey “Vivre/Leben/Vivere” were analyzed. The results showed that people with a low level of education and with a low income have an 80% higher risk of working beyond the SRA for financial reasons than for other reasons (p < 0.001). Moreover, self-rated health was not significantly associated with working beyond the SRA for financial reasons but was significantly associated with education and income (p < 0.01). In conclusion, while previous studies have already identified financial difficulties as one important reason for working beyond the SRA, the present study indicated the socioeconomic factors that are crucial for increasing the risk for working beyond the SRA. Thus, our results help to guide the adaptation of social policies for better maintaining and promoting the health of particularly vulnerable older workers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prolonging Working Life among Senior Workers)

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13 pages, 346 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Importance of the Working Environment for Early Retirement: Prospective Cohort Study with Register Follow-Up

by Emil Sundstrup, Sannie V. Thorsen, Reiner Rugulies, Mona Larsen, Kristina Thomassen and Lars L. Andersen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(18), 9817; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18189817 - 17 Sep 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2650

Abstract

Background: This study investigates the role of physical work demands and psychosocial work factors for early retirement among older workers. Methods: Data from three Danish surveys on work environment and health among employed older workers (age 55–59) were merged with a national register containing information on labour market participation. Robust Poisson regression modelled the risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between physical and psychosocial work factors and early retirement, that is, not working after the age of 64. Results: Of the 2800 workers, 53% retired early. High physical work demands (RR 1.33, 95% CI 1.19–1.48), poor overall psychosocial working conditions (RR 1.43, 95% CI 1.26–1.61), and access to early retirement benefits (RR 1.79, 95% CI 1.53–2.10) predicted early retirement. Subgroup analyses revealed that poor overall psychosocial working conditions were a stronger predictor for early retirement among workers with seated jobs than those with physically active jobs. Conclusions: High physical work demands and poor psychosocial working conditions are factors that can push older workers out of the labour market prematurely. Poor psychosocial working conditions seem to be a particularly strong push factor among workers with seated work. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prolonging Working Life among Senior Workers)

16 pages, 1303 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Theoretical Challenges and Social Inequalities in Active Ageing

by Per H. Jensen and Jakob Skjøtt-Larsen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(17), 9156; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18179156 - 30 Aug 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3069

Abstract

Active ageing has been discussed in international political organisations and among researchers as a major means for combatting the challenges of demographic ageing. This study aims to make a critical-theoretical and empirical assessment of the active ageing concept, challenging the active ageing discourse from two different angles. First, an assessment of the theoretical framework of active ageing shows that the conceptual framework is undertheorised, lacks conceptual and analytical clarity, and fails to propose clear contributing factors and barriers. The second part presents an empirical analysis of the concept of active ageing guided by the following research question: is active ageing realistic—and for whom? Using Danish data subjected to multiple correspondence analysis, it is found that active ageing at the individual level is preconditioned by health, education, having good finances, etc. Furthermore, a Matthew effect of accumulated advantage is found; that is, older adults who are blessed in one sphere of life are also blessed in others, and such inequalities in old age are the outcomes of social life biographies (i.e., cumulative advantages/disadvantages over the life course). Thus, empirical findings indicate that active ageing may be an elusive goal for a large segment of older adults. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prolonging Working Life among Senior Workers)

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18 pages, 372 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of a Questionnaire for Measuring Employees’ Perception of Selection, Optimisation and Compensation at the Leadership, Group and Individual Levels

by Annette Meng, Iben L. Karlsen, Vilhelm Borg and Thomas Clausen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(12), 6475; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18126475 - 15 Jun 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2732

Abstract

This study is the first to develop a questionnaire to measure employees’ perceptions of the use of the action strategies selection, optimisation, and compensation (SOC) beyond the individual level, which has so far been lacking in research and practice. The study thus contributes an important tool for research into the role of SOC strategies at the leadership, group, and individual levels for long and healthy working lives. It may also be used by practitioners as a tool to provide input when developing targeted interventions to support long and healthy working lives. The development of the questionnaire was based on SOC theory, qualitative and cognitive interviews, and existing SOC questionnaires. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were tested on data from a cross-sectional survey with responses from 785 nurses and 244 dairy workers. Results from confirmatory factor analyses supported the theoretically expected nine-factor structure of the questionnaire in both study populations (nurses and dairy workers). Furthermore, the results largely supported the criterion validity and internal reliability of the scales in the questionnaire. Nevertheless, further validation across additional occupational groups is needed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prolonging Working Life among Senior Workers)

9 pages, 316 KiB

Open AccessArticle

What Do the Managers Think of Us? The Older-Worker-Perspective of Managers’ Attitudes

by Annette Meng, Emil Sundstrup and Lars L. Andersen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(8), 4163; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18084163 - 14 Apr 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3194

Abstract

Background: Due to demographic changes, the need to prolong working life has become increasingly salient. Paradoxically, stereotyping and discrimination against workers based on their age can limit possibilities for a long working life. A large body of research has investigated attitudes towards older workers; however, less is known about differences across occupational groups as well gender differences. Aim: To compare perceptions of the managers’ perceptions of older workers between employees from mainly seated work and mainly physical work as well as men and women. Method: Data from 11,444 workers aged 50+ from the baseline questionnaire survey in the SeniorWorkingLife study were analyzed. Results: Across all groups, a larger proportion of the respondents indicated that their managers had more positive than negative perceptions of older workers. Respondents from the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) group 5–9 (mainly physical work) and women were less likely to point at both positive and negative perceptions than the ISCO group 14 (mainly seated work) and men, respectively. Conclusions: The results indicate that there are differences between those with mainly physical and mainly seated work as well as gender differences. More research is warranted to explore the nature of these differences and, in particular, attitudes towards older female and male workers, respectively. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prolonging Working Life among Senior Workers)

11 pages, 941 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Occupational Exposures Associated with Life Expectancy without and with Disability

by Astrid de Wind, Ranu Sewdas, Emiel O. Hoogendijk, Allard J. van der Beek, Dorly J. H. Deeg and Cécile R. L. Boot

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(17), 6377; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17176377 - 1 Sep 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2918

Abstract

Policies to extend working lives often do not take into account potentially important health inequalities arising from differences in occupational exposures. Little is known about which occupational exposures are associated with these inequalities. This study aims to examine differences in life expectancy without and with disability by occupational exposures. Longitudinal data (1992–2016) on disability and physical and psychosocial work demands and resources of 2513 (former) workers aged ≥55 years participating in the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam were used. Gender specific life expectancies without and with disability by occupational exposures were calculated using multistate survival models. Women aged 55 years with high physical work demands had a lower life expectancy without disability than those with low exposure (1.02–1.57 years), whereas there was no difference for men. Men and women with high psychosocial work demands and resources had a longer life expectancy without disability than those with low exposure (1.19–2.14 years). Life expectancy with disability did not significantly differ across occupational exposures. Workers with higher psychosocial demands and resources and lower physical demands can expect to live more disability-free years. Information on occupational exposure helps to identify workers at risk for lower life expectancy, especially without disability, who may need specific support regarding their work environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prolonging Working Life among Senior Workers)

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9 pages, 292 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Barriers and Willingness to Accept Re-Employment among Unemployed Senior Workers: The SeniorWorkingLife Study

by Kristina Thomassen, Emil Sundstrup, Sebastian V. Skovlund and Lars L. Andersen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(15), 5358; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17155358 - 25 Jul 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3255

Abstract

Labor market participation has a positive impact on social inclusion and is linked to financial security. This study identifies barriers and willingness to accept re-employment among unemployed seniors that could highlight opportunities for societal action. From the first wave of SeniorWorkingLife in 2018 combined with the Danish version of the International Standard Classification of Occupations register (ISCO), +50-year-old unemployed senior workers (n = 1682) were stratified into mainly seated work (ISCO 1–4) and mainly physical work (ISCO 5–9), respectively, in their latest employment. We used SurveyFreq and SurveyLogistics of SAS combined with model-assisted weights based on national registers to estimate representative frequencies and odds ratios (OR) for barriers and willingness to accept re-employment. Higher age was perceived as a general barrier for re-employment in both groups. Health was a more pronounced barrier for seniors with mainly physical work compared to seniors with mainly seated work (OR 2.35; CI95 1.31–4.21). Overall, seniors showed a large degree of flexibility and willingness to re-enter the labor market. Different barriers and willingness to accept re-employment exist among currently unemployed seniors. These results highlight the need for different approaches across occupational groups to help unemployed seniors back into the labor market. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prolonging Working Life among Senior Workers)

12 pages, 341 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Factors Contributing to Retirement Decisions in Denmark: Comparing Employees Who Expect to Retire before, at, and after the State Pension Age

by Annette Meng, Emil Sundstrup and Lars L. Andersen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(9), 3338; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17093338 - 11 May 2020

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4867

Abstract

Aim: Analyse factors affecting retirement decisions comparing employees expecting to retire before, at, and after the state pension age. Methods: In the SeniorWorkingLife cohort, 12,269 workers aged +50 replied to questions about expected retirement age, reasons for leaving, and reasons for staying longer. Results: For all groups, poor health, wish for more leisure, and economy were the most salient expected reasons for retiring. Many would stay longer if there were better possibilities for more leisure time, more work flexibility, and economic benefits. Those expecting to retire before state pension age were more likely to point at desire for more leisure time as expected reason for retiring, and less likely to point at economic reasons, and more likely to point at health and work demands as possible reasons for prolonging working life. Those expecting to retire after state pension age were more likely to point at external factors and recognition from the management. Conclusion: Factors influencing retirement decisions are similar across the groups. Initiatives for better work–life balance, healthy lifestyle, and economic incentives to continue working may help prevent early retirement and motivate prolonging work life beyond retirement. Results also indicate that less strenuous work is particularly relevant to prevent early retirement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prolonging Working Life among Senior Workers)

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