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This study investigated the effects of amendments to Jordan's Social Security Law No. (1) of 2014, with a specific focus on early retirement provisions. The changes involved factors like the benefit coefficient, average wage, age- based deduction ratios, dependency ceiling, general increase rate, and participation rates for hazardous occupations. The research assessed how these alterations impacted the Social Security Corporation's operational performance in Jordan. Data and financial statements from 2009 to 2019 were analyzed across all 26 departments of the Social Security Corporation, utilizing both simple and multiple regression analysis with SPSS. The study revealed significant findings, with the benefit coefficient adjustment being the most influential change affecting the institution's performance, while the dependency ceiling modification had the least impact. A key recommendation arising from this research is to expand the scope of early retirement variables, potentially incorporating factors related to unemployment to enhance the institution's financial stability and operational performance. In conclusion, the amendments to Jordan's Social Security Law No. (1) of 2014, particularly early retirement provisions, had a substantial impact on the operational performance of the Social Security Corporation. The study suggests the need for further development in these provisions to benefit both the institution and its beneficiaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article characterizes optimal social security in economies with agents who exhibit loss aversion. Two forms of loss aversion are explored. In the first, workers have a fixed retirement age and are loss averse over private savings. This motivates a more generous social security program. In the second, workers do no private savings but can choose their retirement age, exhibiting loss aversion over the foregone leisure time from delayed retirement. Social security benefits consequently rise steeper with retirement age and an earlier normal retirement age is optimal. In both cases, optimal policy is highly sensitive to the introduction of loss averse preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proportion of elderly people living apart from children increased dramatically during the twentieth century. Most observers attribute this change to increasing incomes, but Ruggles argues that attitudes became less favorable to coresidence with children. We use the introduction of the Pennsylvania Railroad Pension to examine the role of income in residential decisions of the elderly. In 1900 the Pennsylvania Railroad announced that all employees over the age of 70 would be retired from service with pensions. Pensions were substantial, about 40% of pre-retirement wages, and workers in poor health could retire starting at age 65. We linked retirees from pension records to censuses to examine the relationship between incomes and household patterns in 1900, 1910, and 1920. Although men living with their wives were not affected, we find direct relationships between pension incomes and early retirement and household structure among widowers. Widowers with higher incomes were more likely to head their own households and less likely to live with a married child. Men who retired early because of poor health were less likely to remain heads of household and more likely to live with a married child. These patterns are consistent with Laslett’s ‘nuclear hardship’ hypothesis, and they support the view that higher incomes later in the century would have reduced coresidence with children, especially married children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Health care resource utilization (HCRU) and the economic burden of myasthenia gravis (MG) are significant, but existing studies rarely include comprehensive nationwide data. We examined HCRU and direct and indirect costs associated with MG overall and by disease severity in Denmark, Finland, and Sweden. Methods: Data were collected retrospectively from nationwide health and social care registries. All individuals ≥18 years of age with ≥2 International Classification of Diseases diagnoses of MG between 2000 and 2020 were included. HCRU, direct (inpatient and outpatient contacts, medication) and indirect costs (early retirement, sick leave, death), and associated factors were calculated. Results: The full study cohort comprised 8622 people with MG (pwMG). Mean annual numbers of all‐cause secondary health care contacts for pwMG were 3.4 (SD = 8.3), 7.0 (SD = 12.3), and 2.9 (SD = 3.9), with mean annual total costs of €12,185, €9036, and €5997 per person in Denmark, Finland, and Sweden, respectively. Inpatient periods, involving 77%–89% of study participants in the three countries, contributed most to direct costs, whereas the majority of indirect costs resulted from early retirement in Denmark and Finland, and sick leave periods in Sweden. Mean annual total costs were highest with very severe MG (€19,570–€33,495 per person across the three countries). Female sex and comorbidities, such as mental and behavioral disorders and severe infections, were also associated with higher total costs. Conclusions: This population‐based study shows a high level of HCRU and a significant direct and indirect economic burden of MG across three Nordic countries, especially for severe forms of MG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the problem of choosing optimal consumption, investment, early retirement, and effort levels for an economic agent who is unwilling to reduce their consumption over time. The agent's income depends on a fixed wage rate, and varies proportionally with their level of effort, which incurs disutility due to labor. By applying the dual-martingale method, we reformulate the problem into its dual form, dividing it into two distinct sub-problems: one focuses on selecting a consumption path that does not decrease, while the other determines the optimal timing for early retirement. Using this method, we find optimal strategies in the form of explicit closed-form solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the causal effect of early retirement on medication use using Danish registry data. A reform in early retirement schemes in 2006 gradually increased eligibility ages from 60 to 64 differentially across birth cohorts. This enables an instrumental variable design that was applied using novel g-estimation methods that alleviate bias in binary outcome IV models. Our data allow studying patterns in the short run (ages 59½–60½) and in the long run (ages 57–63). For those who were eligible already at age 60, retirement did not change overall medication use. However, when investigating medication and population subgroups, we see that painkiller use decreases and hypertension medication as well as mental health medication use increase after retirement in almost all population subgroups. Moreover, males as well as the blue-collar occupation subgroups do show decreases in overall medication use after early retirement. In conclusion, our analyses reveal that retirement can have important heterogeneous health effects across population groups and are potentially informative about the welfare benefits of social insurance more broadly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Objective: Work phobic anxiety can occur as an additional problem in any somatic illness and is often associated with work capacity limitations and sick leave. This study investigates work‐related capacity limitations in patients with and without work phobic anxiety who are undergoing neurological rehabilitation. It was conducted in the rehabilitation facility Brandenburgklinik Berlin‐Brandenburg in Germany. Methods: Work phobic anxiety was assessed with the Workplace Phobia Scale (WPS). The response rate was 69.51%. Capacity limitations (Mini‐ICF‐APP) were compared between 19 patients with neurological conditions and work phobic anxiety and 209 patients with neurological conditions without work phobic anxiety. Work participation restrictions were examined and compared using the self‐ and observer rated Index for Measuring Participation (IMET, IMEP‐O). The work ability assessments regarding the patients' last occupation as well as the general labor market were conducted by the treating physicians as part of their medical reports and compared between the subgroups. The work ability was rated as less than 3 h, 3 to less than 6 h, or 6 h or more a day for more than 6 months, with the latter being an indication for prognostic work ability and potential reintegration into the labor market. This is a common classification in sociomedical assessments in Germany. Results: Independent t‐tests showed that patients with work phobic anxiety were significantly more limited in their planning and structuring of tasks (t[20.104] = 2.310, p = 0.032, d = 0.68), flexibility (t[217] = 3.586, p < 0.001, d = 0.86), assertiveness (t[19.613] = 2.151, p = 0.044, d = 0.70), group integration (t[19.534] = 2.274, p = 0.034, d = 0.76), and mobility capacities (t[16.616] = 2.198, p = 0.042, d = 0.76) and significantly more restricted in participating in work compared to patients without work phobic anxiety (IMEP‐O: t[23.549] = 2.298, p = 0.031, d = 0.40; IMET: t[27.191] = 4.581, p < 0.001, d = 0.78). Chi‐squared tests revealed no significant differences in the physicians' work ability assessments between patients with and without work phobic anxiety. Conclusions: While work phobic anxiety seems to not be decisive concerning early retirement assessments, it is associated with greater capacity limitations and work participation restrictions. The results highlight the need for identifying work phobic anxiety and associated capacity limitations in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How does plant closure affect the employment and well-being of displaced workers? This article presents the results of two surveys of workers at five manufacturing plants two and 11 years after mass layoffs. After two years, two-thirds of displaced workers had been re-employed, one in five workers was still unemployed, and one in 10 workers had retired. A decade after the plant closures, unemployment had fallen below 5%. Overall, post-displacement outcomes in Switzerland were more favourable than in other European plant closures. However, age disparities loomed large. Older workers struggled to find new jobs and often had to accept large wage cuts and unstable jobs. In particular, many workers in their late forties and early fifties were hit hard as they were too young to benefit from early retirement, but too old to start over. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intercollegiate athletics offer amateur athletes an approximately four-year window to pursue their athletic careers (Hodges & Darvin, 2022). While many athletes complete their full eligibility, some choose to retire early (Zvosec & Bass, 2022). At the NCAA Division III level, motivations for early retirement remain unclear, and the experiences of former student-athletes often are overlooked (Hodges & Darvin, 2022; Zvosec & Bass, 2022). Despite Division III's large athlete population, research seldom delves into their experiences. This study aims to explore why former Division III athletes voluntarily leave their sport. Transitioning out of collegiate sports poses significant challenges, affecting athletes' identities, career goals, and well-being. The Theory of Work Adjustment (TWA) offers a framework for understanding this transition (Hesketh & Griffin, 2005). TWA emphasizes aligning individual skills, values, and environmental requirements, providing insights into how athletes experience this phenomenon (Camire et al., 2012). Semistructured interviews with 15 early retirees revealed factors influencing their decision, including controlling coaching behavior, a win-at-all-costs culture, lack of support, and burnout. This study sheds light on the Division III student-athlete experience, informing coaches, administrators, and institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic diseases are a significant and growing problem of our time. They impair the ability to work and increase the risk of early retirement. To support the return to work, rehabilitation services can be applied for in Germany. Currently, the application system for rehabilitation allows only a limited degree of individualisation of the treatment and is associated with a lack of multidisciplinary communication. To facilitate rehabilitation care planning, we developed a complex intervention. A digital, platform-based case management approach (intervention) will ensure multidisciplinary communication and the tailored selection of medical treatments and/or non-medical support measures. The overall objective is to assess the effectiveness of the intervention compared to treatment as usual (control condition). The German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) funds the RehaPro-SERVE study (grant number: 661R0053K1). Methods: This is the protocol for an investigator-initiated, pragmatic, multicentre, randomised and controlled two-arm parallel-group superiority trial with embedded qualitative process evaluation. The study will be conducted in Hesse state, Germany. N = 59 primary care physicians will be recruited and tasked with the recruitment of six eligible patients each. Eligibility criteria: age 40–60; minimum of 4-week work disability due to musculoskeletal, oncologic or psychological conditions or the post-COVID-19 syndrome within the last 6 months; at high risk for early retirement. In total, n = 352 patients will be randomised with a 1:1 allocation to intervention or control group and stratified by primary care practice using permuted blocks. The primary outcome is the number of days of sick leave during a 12-month period after the assumed completion of treatments (t1 to t2). Secondary outcomes include the number of days of sick leave (self-report), work ability, and health-related quality of life, as well as data from the qualitative process evaluation. Discussion: The results of the study will inform the design of future care services and provide valuable information on multidisciplinary case management in the context of rehabilitation care planning. The results of the qualitative process evaluation will further contribute to the understanding of facilitating and hindering factors. Trial registration: DRKS-German Clinical Trials Register, DRKS0 00242 07. Registered on 22 March 2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although recent studies examined the factors influencing older workers' early retirement decisions, little is known about how age-related shifts in social roles from the work to family domains affect older workers' early retirement intentions. Guided by role theory, we propose that flexible human resource (HR) practices are negatively related to older workers' early retirement intentions via decreased role conflict (work–family and family-work conflict). Furthermore, we take a role identity perspective and argue that gender may work as a fundamental contingency factor influencing the relationship between role conflict (work–family and family-work conflict) and early retirement intentions. Data were collected from Chinese organizations with a matching sample of 228 older workers (aged 45 years and older) and HR managers from 48 organizations, and a multilevel path analysis was conducted to test the hypotheses. The results showed that flexible HR practices have a negative indirect relationship with early retirement intentions through decreased family-to-work conflict. The influence of family-to-work conflict on early retirement intentions is stronger for women than for men. We also found that the effect of work-to-family conflict on early retirement intentions is stronger than that of family-to-work conflict. Theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the demand for energy transition in all sectors, the power sector in Indonesia faces a bump in the road. The poorly planned construction of coal-fired power plants ('CFPPs'), primarily concentrated in Java, has resulted in a significant issue of overcapacity and long-term operation contracts that cannot be nullified. Indonesia's promise to retire the CFPPs at the United Nations Climate Change Conference ('COP') 26 must then be scrutinized, as such changes would mean a sudden change in economic, social, and legal conditions. Today, regulations are deficient and retirement plans are stagnant, with the roadmap for retirement unreleased. Further, the existing legal framework violates the hierarchy of laws in Indonesia and only concerns retirement impacts to the electricity State Owned Enterprise, electricity consumers by extension, and the central government. Whereas in fact, there are many other stakeholders such as workers of the CFPPs and local governments. This research then aims to criticize the promise and highlight the socio-economic impacts of CFPPs early retirement that have not been anticipated as well as the legal flaws of the current retirement framework. By the end, the paper recommends corrections to the current legal product mandating retirement, which acts as a solution to accommodate both the socio-economic-legal critic to the early retirement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the optimal design of a fair public pension system in a multi-period overlapping generations model with occupation-specific morbidity and mortality that depends on the retirement age. The fairness constraint acts as institutional device ensuring that lifetime returns to contributions are equal across occupational groups. We consider group-specific replacement rates and a calculatory interest rate for early contributions as policy instruments. Calibrating the model to Germany, we find that the transition to optimal fair pension policies may induce early retirement of blue-collar workers and significantly raises their lifetime pension benefits and welfare. Aggregate welfare increases in all fair pension scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Effective medical staffing is pivotal for a successful healthcare system, demanding strategic planning to ensure a high‐quality service. Although the UK's doctor to population ratio has improved over time, it remains below global averages. The COVID‐19 pandemic has exacerbated existing challenges, resulting in an unprecedented NHS waiting list with Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) surgeries ranking third highest in waiting times amongst all specialties. Methods: This study utilized a national jotform survey to gather data from ENTUK members, primarily focusing on consultant staffing within ENT departments across the UK. Additional information collected encompassed registration status, part‐time roles, gender, vacancies, locum roles, associate specialists, registrars and other junior doctors, and advanced nurse practitioners. When survey responses were inadequate, direct communication was established with departmental consultants or secretaries, followed by Freedom of Information requests as necessary. All data were compiled using Microsoft Excel. Results: Among the 65 responses to the ENTUK survey, 53 individual trusts were identified. These included 41 English acute trusts, with supplementary participation from Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Data from 749 consultants across 115 English acute trusts were collected in combination with a Freedom of Information request. Conclusion: Despite an increased number of ENT consultants, the persistence of unfilled posts coincides with mounting waiting lists. The pandemic's effects, including early retirements and part‐time roles, emphasise the urgency of expanding training positions to counterbalance these shifts. Local and national interventions are essential to fortify and diversify the ENT workforce through a variety of strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is among prevalent occupational diseases, causing early retirement and disabilities. This paper looks into occupational-related COPD prevention and intervention in the workplace for Industry 4.0-compliant occupation health and safety management. The economic burden and other severe problems caused by COPD are introduced. Subsequently, seminal research in relevant areas is reviewed. The prospects and challenges are introduced and discussed based on critical management approaches. An initial design of an Industry 4.0-compliant occupational COPD prevention system is presented at the end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Many teachers worldwide retire early for health or personal reasons. Predictors could help to identify teachers at risk in order to counteract this development. The study therefore investigates whether the intention to retire can be predicted by work ability, psychosocial work stress and work behaviour. Material and Methods: The data came from a representative cross-sectional study of German secondary school teachers (N = 18 971). The analyses included 1496 full-time teachers aged ≥50 years (58% female). Teachers were assigned to 1 of 2 groups based on their intention to take early or regular retirement. A binomial regression model was used to analyze the predictive power of the intention to retire for the following factors: work ability index (WAI) -- factor 1, effort-reward ratio (ER ratio), overcommitment (OC), age and gender. In addition, a qualitative analysis of the teachers' suggestions was carried out regarding which measures would make the regular retirement age attainable. Results: Half (49%) of the teachers intended to retire early, with the proportion of women being around twice as high (67%) as men (33%) (d = 0.37). The analyzed predictors explained a total of 22% of the variance. The WAI factor 1 proved to be the most important predictor (variance explanation: 14%). Effort-reward ratio and OC each contributed around 10% to the variance explanation of the retirement intention. The probability of taking early retirement increased with decreasing work ability, increasing ER ratio and a high tendency to overcommit; age and gender were of secondary importance. Teachers suggested a reduction in compulsory hours (46%), relief from extracurricular tasks (45%) and smaller classes (29%) as decisive measures for achieving regular retirement. Conclusions: Work ability index factor 1, ER ratio and OC could be used as part of occupational health prevention programmes to identify and advise older teachers at risk who need support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the impact of COVID‐19‐related job loss on early retirement withdrawals, highlighting the roles of financial hardships, subjective well‐being, financial knowledge, and emergency savings. Drawing from 2929 respondents, the research identified that job loss increases early withdrawals, both directly and through financial hardships and well‐being perceptions. Notably, individuals with greater financial knowledge and at least 3 months of emergency savings experience less negative impact from job loss. Our findings emphasize the vital role of employers in offering workplace financial education and promoting emergency savings. This aligns with the SECURE 2.0 Act's strategies and underlines the significance of financial readiness in buffering against the economic fallout of unexpected events like the COVID‐19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Derecho de la Seguridad Social, Laborum is the property of Ediciones Laborum S.L. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Using rich Finnish population level registers, we examine the impact of fusing a flexible early retirement pathway with a more stringent pathway, without changing eligibility conditions, so-called 'relabelling', on individual application behaviour. Our findings show that among affected cohorts the likelihood of applying for (successfully claiming) disability-related early retirement declined by 1.8 (1.5) percentage points equivalent to a relative drop of approximately 37 % (39 %) following the reform. Individuals with below tertiary level education and stronger lifetime labour market attachment exhibit a stronger behavioural response to the reform. We find tentative evidence of individual's bringing forward the age at which they substitute to a competing early retirement pathway designed to keep individuals in the labour market albeit on a part time basis. Our findings highlight the importance of targeted awareness building aimed at particular socioeconomic groups such as those with low levels of education when policymakers seek to consolidate early retirement programmes with differing pre-reform eligibility criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to capture the interrelationship between two life transitions linking the generation of elderly parents and their adult children: early retirement and the transition to (grand)parenthood. A (grand)parents' early retirement might be driven by the need to care for a grandchild. Conversely, the transition of their adult children into parenthood might be shaped by the availability of flexible, reliable, and affordable childcare provided by retired (grand)parents. Employing an event history approach, we examine the reciprocal influence that the birth of the first grandchild and early retirement have in midlife. Our study focuses on gender and socio-economic differences drawing on the SHARE multi-country dataset. Results show that becoming a grandparent increases the chances of early retirement for both men and women, slightly more among grandmothers than grandfathers. Among new grandfathers, those with higher education are more likely to go into early retirement compared to their less-educated counterparts. Early retirement, on the contrary, does not predict grandparenthood in a significant way, though there is a relatively higher chance of becoming a grandfather if the person who retired is highly educated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adult education may keep older workers productive if they voluntarily engage in learning. Examining a generous partial retirement reform in Germany that encouraged early retirement among male workers, we estimate voluntary adult education activities for early retirees. Using county-level administrative data on all public adult education centers (Volkshochschulen; VHS), we employ a difference-in-differences approach exploiting the predetermined county-specific age structure of men for identification. The results show a strong increase in participation in adult education, specifically in cognitively demanding courses. This supports an intrinsic willingness of older workers to acquire skills and abilities independent of financial incentives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of FinanzRundschau is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper examines the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on early retirement (ER) decisions in Europe. For the analysis, we utilize microdata from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, along with occupation-level data on AI advances and AI exposure. Initially, we investigate the influence of AI advances and AI exposure separately, finding in both instances a significant reduction in ER likelihood, though this only applies to workers with higher education. Subsequently, we explore the interaction between AI advances and AI exposure concerning ER probability. This interaction proves critical in determining AI's impact on ER transitions. Specifically, we observe a significant reduction in ER probabilities for workers whose occupations exhibit high levels of AI advances and high expectations for further implementation of this technology in the future. Finally, we jointly analyse the interaction between AI advances, AI exposure, and education level. This analysis highlights that workers' ER probabilities may either increase or decrease in response to the AI revolution, depending on their education level and the characteristics of their occupations in terms of AI advances and AI exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The combustion of coal, the world's most polluting form of energy, must be significantly curtailed to limit the global average temperature increase to well below 2°C. Since carbon pricing is politically constrained, alternative policies, such as compensating coal plant owners, for early closure are being considered. Methods: Germany is the only country to date to have implemented a reverse auction to give compensation payments for early coal retirement. We analyse the merits and demerits of Germany's policy, drawing comparisons with other countries that have phased out coal through other means. Results: While bilateral negotiations can lead to excessive compensation due to asymmetric information, a competitive auction can discover the true cost of closure and help allocate funds more efficiently and transparently. Germany's experience illustrates the practical necessity of adjusting auction design to ensure additionality, reduce the risk of gaming and manage the security of supply. Conclusion: While auctions have attractive properties in theory, in practice, their design must address these concerns to unlock the full benefits. Retirement auctions that deliver compensation payments can be a pragmatic policy option, particularly in countries where an incumbent coal lobby makes punitive measures such as carbon taxation hard to implement. However, where there is a concentration in coal plant ownership, auctions will not work and alternative policies, such as enhanced incentives for scrappage and repurposing of coal assets, could be used instead. In many coal-burning areas, the decline of coal is slowed down by long-term contracts that insulate coal-fired generation from competition. Compensation for early closure is a 'pay-to-break' mechanism which may be a politically feasible alternative to 'polluter-pays' policies such as carbon pricing. Competitive auctions can deliver efficient and transparent compensation payments for early coal closures relative to negotiations which suffer from asymmetric information. Ensuring that there is sufficient competition in a coal closure auction through design adjustments can ensure discovery of true closure costs. Shutting down coal-fired power plants can lead to fiscal savings in countries where coal-fired generation is supported by capacity payments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last two decades, social security reforms in several European countries have turned early retirement routes for older workers increasingly difficult. The size of the effects of these reforms on labour supply and social security transfers, and how these effects interact with workers' characteristics have yet to be measured. This article sheds light on this issue by exploring the consequences of postponing access to an old-age unemployment programme—from age 58 to 60—in Belgium. The programme provides laid-off workers with a combination of unemployment benefits and a monthly supplement paid by the employer until the full retirement age. Exploiting register data on the universe of workers and using a difference-in-difference identification strategy, the authors find that UCS eligibility negatively affects employment participation but also mitigates older workers' participation in other social security programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-employment including early retirement among individuals of older working age is a considerable concern. As life expectancies across the developed world continue to increase, individuals' retirement savings often turn out to be inadequate. In policy circles, given the increasing old-age dependency ratio, self-employment is often seen as a potential route to extend the working lives of older labour force participants. By studying labour market switches of wage workers of 50 years and older, we investigate to what extent self-employment serves as a bridge to retirement. Using a longitudinal data base in European countries over the period 2005–2015, our findings suggest that although self-employment does serve as a bridge to retirement, this is much less likely to be the case for precarious wage workers—especially those with poor job prospects—than for wage workers at the higher end of the labour market, including those who are in good health and who have good job prospects in their current wage job. We also find that wage workers with precarious job conditions are more likely to switch into non-employment rather than into self-employment. Policy implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]