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Background: The effective age of retirement in South Korea is higher than the average of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Early retirement in Asia may affect mental health differently compared to western countries. Thus, we examined the association between retirement age and depressive symptoms among South Korean retirees., Methods: We used data from the 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019 Korean Retirement and Income Panel Study, including a total of 2998, 3152, 3203, 3154, and 3055 participants, respectively. We excluded those younger than 50 years, non-retirees, those without information on the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale, and those with other missing values. We used a generalized estimating equation model to identify the association between retirement age and depressive symptoms measured using the CES-D., Results: Participants who retired at age < 50 years had significantly higher CES-D scores (β = 1.764, P = 0.0003) compared to those who retired at age ≥ 70 years. The negative effects of early retirement on depressive symptoms were greater among male participants, heads of households, young involuntary retirees, those who retired within the past 20 years, and those who had no difficulties in activities of daily living., Limitations: Since we evaluated the association between retirement age and depressive symptoms in one direction, there is a possibility of reverse causality., Conclusion: Our findings highlight the importance of managing depressive symptoms in early retirees, especially young involuntary retirees and those burdened with family care., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Higher numbers of family physicians (FPs) stopped practicing or retired during the COVID-19 pandemic, worsening the family doctor shortage in Canada. Our study objective was to determine which factors were associated with FPs' plans to retire earlier during the COVID-19 pandemic., Methods: We administered two cross-sectional online surveys to Ontario FPs asking whether they were "planning to retire earlier" as a result of the pandemic during the first and third COVID-19 pandemic waves (Apr-Jun 2020 and Mar-Jul 2021). We used logistic regression to determine which factors were associated with early retirement planning, adjusting for age., Results: The age-adjusted proportion of FP respondents planning to retire earlier was 8.2% (of 393) in the first-wave and 20.5% (of 454) in the third-wave. Planning for earlier retirement during the third-wave was associated with age over 50 years (50-59 years odds ratio (OR) 5.37 (95% confidence interval (CI):2.33-12.31), 60 years and above OR 4.18 (95% CI: 1.90-10.23)), having difficulty handling increased non-clinical responsibilities (OR 2.95 (95% CI: 1.79-4.94)), feeling unsupported to work virtually (OR 1.96 (95% CI: 1.19-3.23)) or in-person (OR 2.70 (95% CI: 1.67-4.55)), feeling unable to provide good care (OR 1.82 (95% CI: 1.10-3.03)), feeling work was not valued (OR 1.92 (95% CI: 1.15-3.23)), feeling frightened of dealing with COVID-19 (OR 2.01 (95% CI: 1.19-3.38)), caring for an elderly relative (OR 2.36 (95% CI: 1.69-3.97)), having difficulty obtaining personal protective equipment (OR 2.00 (95% CI: 1.16-3.43)) or difficulty implementing infection control practices in clinic (OR 2.10 (95% CI: 1.12-3.89))., Conclusions: Over 20% of Ontario FP respondents were considering retiring earlier by the third-wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Supporting FPs in their clinical and non-clinical roles, such that they feel able to provide good care and that their work is valued, reducing non-clinical (e.g., administrative) responsibilities, dealing with pandemic-related fears, and supporting infection control practices and personal protective equipment acquisition in clinic, particularly in those aged 50 years or older may help increase family physician retention during future pandemics., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Police departments are encouraged to integrate their health and safety management systems with the operational arrangements to demonstrate commitment to the improvement of working environment in the police is by the collection and analysis of occupational health data such as sickness absence and early retirement intention., Methods: About 760 responses to the Occupational Health and Safety Survey by the Abu Dhabi Police employees was used to analyse the early retirement intentions considering the work-related factors and sickness absence data., Results: Logistic regression results of the unadjusted model reported higher odds that lower levels of co-worker support, supervisor support, workplace support related to intentions of early retirement. Also, unfavourable perception of health management increases the odds to early retirement among the employees., Conclusion: The outcome of this study provides insights into the determinants of early retirement intentions in the less explored region of middle-east, specifically in Abu Dhabi. Thorough analysis of such data will help police organisations to prioritise plans and improve the health and wellbeing of officers, in turn contributing to strengthening the fight against crime and minimizing the number of occupational injuries and premature exit from paid work., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The topic of retirement is rarely explored in the context of the Middle Eastern and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. This study drew on data from a large-scale survey of retirees in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a universal welfare state characterized by the persistence of the traditional male-breadwinner model and gender roles, to analyze the determinants of retirement timing and post-retirement work. Multi-level regressions were performed to explore the effects of individual, family, institutional, and social-economic factors. The study revealed that Emirati females tended to retire earlier than men to fulfill their domestic duties and informal caregiving roles, rather than to retire together with their spouse. Additionally, early retirement incentives offered by Abu Dhabi pension systems appeared to attract employees into early retirement. On the other hand, securing more financial resources and reduced sense of belonging in society were among the most significant predictors of post-retirement job searching motivations among Emirati retirees.

Aim: Accelerating population ageing is raising concern in many countries now in relation to the availability of workers for essential work roles and responsibilities. A scoping research literature review was done to identify factors currently associated with early retirement and contemporary strategies to encourage and support longer working lives., Methods: Using the PRISMA-ScR Checklist, we searched the Directory of Open Access Journals and EBSCO Discovery Service for published 2013-2018 research articles using the keyword/MeSH term "early retirement"; 54 English-language articles in peer-review journals were reviewed., Results: Seven early retirement factors were revealed: Ill health, good health, workplace issues, the work itself, ageism, social norms and having achieved personal financial or pension requirement criteria. Six suggested solutions, none proven effective, were identified: Occupational health programmes, workplace enhancements, work adjustments, addressing ageism, changing social norms and pension changes., Conclusions: The evidence base on early retirement prevention is not strong, with qualitative investigations needed for in-depth understandings of early retirement influences and mixed-methods studies needed to test early retirement prevention solutions for their effects., Implications for Practice: Until more evidence is available, every organisation should perform an early retirement risk assessment and identify current versus needed policies and programmes to encourage and enable more middle-aged and older people to work longer., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objectives: To describe the association between multimorbidity and intention of retirement in Europe and to understand whether this relationship is modified by the working environment and disability integration policies., Methods: Participants were 11,790 employees aged 50-65 years old who responded to the sixth wave of SHARE project (2015). We modelled intention of retirement as a function of multimorbidity, adjusting for age, gender, education level, and household income by means of logistic models with country fixed effects. We then included the working conditions and an integration policy indicator as potential effect modifiers., Results: Overall, 36.6% of participants reported multimorbidity and 56.1% were willing to retire earlier. Multimorbidity was significantly associated with intention of retirement (OR = 1.58, 95% CI 1.37-1.84). Unfavourable working conditions were positively related to the intention to retire (OR = 1.99, 95% CI 1.53-2.58), while the integration policy was unrelated (OR = 1.84, 95% CI 0.80-4.23). Both did not modify the studied association (interaction terms: OR = 1.14, 95% CI 0.77-1.67, and OR = 0.85, 95% CI 0.58-1.24, respectively)., Conclusions: Multimorbidity is associated with intention of retirement in Europe. This association was unaltered by working conditions and integration policies.

Background: As a response to population aging, reforms to increase the statutory retirement age and closing options for early retirement have been introduced in many European countries. This study analyzed the job satisfaction of employees in two countries with markedly different speeds of pension reforms. The German reform started in 1992 and abolished almost all options of early retirement. The Hungarian reforms started later and were completed only by 2011. Therefore, it is expected that older Hungarian workers were initially more satisfied with their jobs than similarly aged German workers., Objective: The hypothesis was tested that older workers in a regulatory environment with accessible pathways to early retirement are on average relatively more satisfied with their job than older workers in a country with few and financially less advantageous options for early retirement., Material and Methods: This study used data from the European Working Conditions Surveys. Waves 2005 and 2010 represent years when early retirement pathways were abolished in Germany, while the Hungarian system offered a variety of pathways for early retirement. This is not the case in 2015 having tight regulations in both countries. Logit regressions were estimated using job satisfaction as an dependent variable and a variety of control variables were introduced step by step., Results: The results from 2005 and 2010 indicate that older Hungarian employees are relatively more content with their job than similarly aged German workers. In 2015 this trend was reversed., Conclusion: It would be crucial to provide the opportunity and appropriate working conditions for older employees to work if they voluntarily opt for working longer. They seem to be an especially motivated pool of employees, and could productively contribute to decreasing the financial burdens caused by the demographic changes.

Objectives: Current demographic trends, such as society aging, the spreading of chronic diseases, as well as early retirement choices, lead to the dwindling labor market population. Taking into consideration the foregoing tendencies and their consequences, the issue of the shrinking labor force resources seems to be the most important challenge for the labor market. In response to it, this paper identifies individual and institutional causes of withdrawal from the labor market, and explores the views of Polish stakeholders on existing strategies for the occupational re-integration of persons with chronic diseases (PwCDs)., Material and Methods: Polish results of 2 European projects: "Participation to Healthy Workplaces and Inclusive Strategies in the Work Sector" (the PATHWAYS project) and "The Collaborative Research on Aging in Europe" (COURAGE in Europe) complemented each other. The cross-sectional population data and data from stakeholders' interviews were used., Results: The authors identified several causes which could encourage people to withdraw from the labor market before attaining the official retirement age at 3 different levels: individual, occupational, and institutional. Although research has shown that the macro-level situation is crucial to staying occupationally active, in Poland stakeholders have reported the lack of effective coordination in the implementation of policies for the occupational re-integration of PwCDs., Conclusions: A decision to cease work prematurely reflects a combination of many different factors, such as individual determinates, work characteristics, personal convictions, and systemic solutions. The study demonstrated that, despite the awareness of the dwindling resources of labor force, the employment-related challenges faced by PwCDs as well as people who are close to the retirement age remain unaddressed. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2019;32(5):695-721., (This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.)

Background: Early retirement (before age 65) is the norm among registered nurses (RNs) and allied health professionals (AHPs) employed in Canada's public system. As a country whose population is rapidly aging, it is in Canada's best interest to try and extend the work lives of RNs and AHPs., Objectives: (1) To test the predictive validity of our conceptual model of early retirement among publicly employed, Canadian RNs and AHPs and (2) to compare, across professions, model fit and factor significance METHODS: We conducted multivariable logistic regression in two data sets, one consisting of 483 retired RNs and the other of 177 retired AHPs. The number of AHP respondents limited our ability to comprehensively test the model., Results: Eighty-five percent of RNs and 77% of AHPs had retired early. (1) Results indicate that 25% of variance in RN early retirement and 19% of variance in AHP early retirement was explained by included variables. (2) Organizational restructuring increased odds of early retirement by more than 100% among RNs and AHPs. Among RNs (but not AHPs), both financial possibility and caregiving responsibilities predicted early retirement at statistically significant levels, while a "desire to stop working" predicted retirement at or after 65 years of age., Conclusions: Clearly, there is much more to learn about RN and AHP pathways to early retirement. Further research, ideally research exploring the role of workplace characteristics, attitudes, and beliefs towards retirement and work-related factors, could deepen our understanding of the phenomenon of RN/AHP early retirement.

ABSTRACTAvailability of health professionals is fundamental to population health. Multiple trends contribute to provider shortages., Purpose: Develop and validate conceptual models of early and involuntary retirement among registered nurses (RNs) and allied health professionals (AHPs)., Method: A review of retirement literature (n = 23 studies). Any factor reported as predictive of early or involuntary retirement was incorporated into a model. To achieve face validity, we conducted interviews with Canadian RNs/AHPs (n = 14)., Results: The conceptual model of early retirement had eight categories (38 variables): workplace characteristics, socio-demographics, attitudes/beliefs, broader context, organizational factors, family, lifestyle/health, and work-related. The model of involuntary retirement had four categories (eight variables): broader context, socio-demographics, lifestyle/health, and family. Caregiving responsibilities (variable) was added based on interview data., Discussion: RNs/AHPs consider many factors when contemplating retirement; some are sensitive to intercession, which generates possibilities for extending the work lives of older RNs and AHPs.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of pain and disability, which may be a source of productivity losses. The objectives of this study were to describe the impact of OA, namely through pain and physical disability, on early exit from work and to calculate its economic burden., Methods: We analysed data from the national, cross-sectional, population-based EpiReumaPt study (Sep2011-Dec2013) in which 10,661 individuals were randomly surveyed in order to capture all cases of rheumatic diseases. We used all participants aged 50-64, near the official retirement age, who were clinically validated by experienced rheumatologists (n = 1286), including OA cases. A national database was used to calculate productivity values by gender, age and region, using the human capital approach. The impact of OA on the likelihood of early exit from work and the population attributable fractions used to calculate due economic burden (indirect costs) were obtained at the individual level by logistic regression. All results were based on weighted data., Results: Almost one third of the Portuguese population aged 50-64 had OA (29.7%; men: 16.2% and women: 43.5%) and more than half were out of paid work (51.8%). Only knee OA is associated with early exit from work (OR: 2.25; 95%CI: 1.42-3.59; p = 0.001), whereas other OA locations did not reach any statistical difference. Furthermore, we observed an association between self-reported longstanding musculoskeletal pain (OR: 1.55; 95%CI: 1.07-2.23; p = 0.02) and pain interference (OR: 1.35; 95%CI: 1.13-1.62; p = 0.001) with early exit from work. We also detected a clear relationship between levels of disability, measured by the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), and the probability of work withdrawal. The estimated annual cost of early exit from work attributable to OA was €656 million (€384 per capita; €1294 per OA patient and €2095 per OA patient out-of-work)., Conclusions: In this study, we observed an association between OA and early exit from work, largely dependent on pain and disability. This relationship translates into a meaningful economic burden amounting to approximately 0.4% of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The high prevalence and the impact of this disabling chronic disease highlight the need to prioritize policies targeting early exit from work in OA.

The main aim of this study was to estimate the effects of poor health and low income on early retirement. For this purpose systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted. Web of Science, PUBMED and Scopus databases were searched systematically. Finally 17 surveys were added in meta-analysis. These studies were conducted in 13 countries. At the end a Meta regression was done to show the effects of welfare system type on effect sizes of poor health and low income. The results of this study showed that poor health had effect on the risk of early retirement. (Poor health pooled effect sizes: 1.279 CI: (1.15 1.41), low income pooled effect sizes: 1.042 CI: (0.92 1.17), (poor health pooled marginal effects: 0.046 CI: (-0.03 0.12), low income pooled marginal effects: -0.002 CI: (-0.003 0.000). The results of this study showed that association between poor health and early retirement was stronger in comparison with low income and early retirement.

Objectives: The aims of this article are to (1) determine whether and to what extent general perceived health and quality of supervision predict voluntary early retirement pension (VERP) and (2) assess whether quality of supervision modifies the association between general perceived health and VERP., Methods: Employees aged 49-64 years who participated in the Danish Work Environment Cohort Study in 2000 were selected. Their questionnaire data about health and work were linked to register data on social transfer payments, among others VERP, from 2001 to 2012 in the Danish Register for Evaluation of Marginalization ( N=1167). Cox proportional hazards analyses were performed to identify the prospective association of general perceived health and quality of supervision on VERP. Relative excess risks due to interaction (RERIs) were calculated to assess whether quality of supervision modified the association between health and VERP., Results: Employees with poor health at baseline had an increased risk of VERP during follow-up (hazard ratio [HR]=1.23; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-1.49). Quality of supervision at baseline was not associated to VERP during follow-up (HR=1.04; 95% CI 0.90-1.21). There was no statistically significant interaction of poor health and poor quality of supervision with regard to risk of VERP (RERI=-0.33; 95% CI -1.79 to 1.14)., Conclusions: This study did not support the notion that quality of supervision buffers the association between poor health and VERP. Future research is needed to determine whether other aspects of supervision, for example supervisors' opportunities to effectuate workplace adjustments, may modify the association of poor health and VERP.

The Extending Working Lives (EWL) agenda seeks to sustain employment up to and beyond traditional retirement ages. This study examined the potential role of childhood factors in shaping labour force participation and exit among older adults, with a view to informing proactive interventions early in the life-course to enhance individuals' future capacity for extending their working lives. Childhood adversity and socioeconomic disadvantage have previously been linked to ill-health across the life-span and sickness benefit in early adulthood. This study builds upon previous research by examining associations between childhood adversity and self-reported labour force participation among older adults (aged 55). Data was from the National Child Development Study - a prospective cohort of all English, Scottish, & Welsh births in one week in 1958. There was evidence for associations between childhood adversity and increased risk of permanent sickness at 55 years - which were largely sustained after adjustment for educational disengagement and adulthood factors (mental/physical health, qualifications, socioeconomic disadvantage). Specifically, children who were abused or neglected were more likely to be permanently sick at 55 years. In addition, among males, those in care, those experiencing illness in the home, and those experiencing two or more childhood adversities were more likely to be permanently sick at 55 years. Childhood factors were also associated with part-time employment and retirement at 55 years. Severe childhood adversities may represent important distal predictors of labour force exit at 55 years, particularly via permanent sickness. Notably, some adversities show associations among males only, which may inform interventions designed to extend working lives., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Although alcohol use disorder (AUD) is associated with future risk for psychosocial dysfunction, the degree to which this arises from a direct causal effect of AUD on functioning v. from correlated risk factors (also known as confounders) is less clearly established., Method: AUD was assessed from Swedish medical, criminal and pharmacy registries. In a large general population cohort, using Cox proportional hazard and regression models, we predicted from the onset of AUD four outcomes: early retirement, unemployment, social assistance, and individual income. We then examined the degree to which these associations were attenuated by relevant confounders as well as by the use of discordant cousin, half-sibling, full-sibling, and monozygotic twin pairs., Results: In males, AUD most strongly predicted social assistance [hazard ratio (HR) 8.27, 95% confidence interval (CI) 7.96-8.59], followed by early retirement (HR 5.63, 95% CI 5.53-5.72) and unemployment (HR 2.75, 95% CI 2.65-2.85). For income at age 50, AUD was associated with a decrease in income of 0.24 s.d.s (95% CI -0.25 to -0.23). Results were similar in females. Modest to moderate attenuation of these associations was seen in both sexes after the addition of relevant covariates. These associations were reduced but remained robust in discordant co-relative pairs, including monozygotic twins., Conclusions: Our results suggest that AUD has a causal impact on a range of measures reflective of psychosocial dysfunction. These findings provide strong support for the drift hypothesis. However, some of the associations between AUD and dysfunction appear to be non-causal and result from shared risk factors, many of which are likely familial.

Objectives: To measure early retirement due to self-reported rheumatic diseases (RDs) and to estimate the respective indirect costs and years of working life lost (YWLL)., Methods: We used individual level data from the national, cross-sectional, population-based EpiReumaPt study (September 2011-December 2013) where 10,661 inhabitants were randomly surveyed in order to capture and characterize all cases of RD within a representative sample of the Portuguese population. In this analysis, we used all participants aged between 50 and 64 years, near the official retirement age. A national database was used to calculate productivity values by gender, age and region, using the human capital approach. YWLL were estimated as the difference between each participant's current age and the respective retirement age, while the potential years of working life lost (PYWLL) were given by the difference between official and actual retirement ages. We also calculated the percentage of time in inactivity (inactivity ratio = YWLL/Active age-range [15-64 years old])., Results: 29.9% of the Portuguese population with ages between 50 and 64 years were retired with 13.1% self-reporting retirement due to RD. The estimated annual indirect cost following premature retirement attributed to RD was €910 million (€555 per capita; €1625 per self-reported RD patient and €13,592 per early retiree due to RD). Females contributed with 84% for these costs (€766 million; €882 per capita vs €187 from males). We observed a total number of 389,939 accumulated YWLL (228 per 1000 inhabitants) and 684,960 PYWLL (401 per 1000 inhabitants). The mean YWLL and PYWLL inactivity ratios were 12% and 21%, respectively. RD patients with higher values of disability have the highest risk of early retirement., Conclusions: Early retirement attributed to self-reported RD amounts to approximately 0.5% of the national gross domestic product (GDP) in 2013, due to large YWLL. Both the public health concern and the economic impact highlight the need to prioritize investments in health and social protection policies targeting patients with rheumatic conditions., (Copyright © 2016 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The economic impact of the 9/11 terrorist attacks has rarely been studied. We examined the association between 9/11-related chronic health conditions with or without post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and one important aspect of the economic impact, retirement, and job loss before age 60., Methods: A total of 7,662 workers who participated in the World Trade Center Health Registry surveys were studied. Logistic regression models examined the association of 9/11-related health and labor force exit., Results: Workers with chronic conditions were more likely to experience early retirement and job loss, and the association was stronger in the presence of PTSD comorbidity: the odds ratios for reporting early retirement or job loss were increased considerably when chronic conditions were comorbid with PTSD., Conclusions: Disaster-related health burden directly impacts premature labor force exit and income. Future evaluation of disaster outcome should include its long-term impact on labor force. Am. J. Ind. Med. 59:731-741, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., (© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Purpose: Retention of senior employees is a challenge for most developed countries. We aimed to identify psychosocial work environment factors of importance for the retention of older employees by evaluating the association between the psychosocial work environment and voluntary early retirement in a longitudinal study., Methods: Data about work environment, health, and background factors came from the DANES 2008 questionnaire survey. We followed members of the Danish early retirement scheme for up to 4 years in national registers-focusing on the age range, 60-64 years, where early retirement was possible. We used Cox proportional hazard regression to analyze the rate of early retirement., Results: The study included 16 psychosocial work environment factors. The following 10 psychosocial factors were significant predictors of early retirement in covariate adjusted analyses: Low job satisfaction, low influence in job, low possibilities for development, low role clarity, perceived age discrimination, low recognition from management, low workplace justice, poor trust in management, poor leadership quality, and poor predictability. No significant association with early retirement was found for work pace, quantitative demands, emotional demands, role conflicts, social community between colleagues, and trust between colleagues., Conclusion: Older employees with high job satisfaction, influence, possibilities for development, positive management relations, and jobs with no age discrimination remained longer at the labor market. However, we found no evidence that low demands or good relations between colleagues could influence older employees' decision on early retirement.

Teachers are often thought to retire early and have more stress and burnout than other human service professionals. In this article, we investigate attrition intention amongst senior teachers and senior employees of six other blue- and white-collar occupational categories using the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model. We followed a two-step approach. First, analysis of variance and logistic regression analysis was used to assess differences in the level of job demands, resources, and attrition intention between occupations for male and female employees separately. Subsequently, multiple group path analysis was used to assess the invariance of the JD-R model across occupational groups and genders. We used representative data gathered in Flanders among 6,810 senior employees (45 years or older). Results indicate that there are differences in the determinants of attrition intention between men and women. The differences in attrition intention are minimal between occupations once controlled for job demands and resources. In addition, the JD-R model is largely invariant across white-collar occupations and gender. We provide support for both the energetic and motivational process of the JD-R model., (© The Author(s) 2016.)

Purpose of the Study: We offer an empirically based taxonomy of the human resource policies of European employers in relation to older workers. In particular, 3 age-based strategies are discussed and analyzed in a simultaneous fashion: a focus on exit through retirement, workplace accommodation measures, and employee development measures., Design and Methods: A sample of 3,638 organizations in 6 European countries (Denmark, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, and Sweden) is analyzed to discover which of the 7 antecedents investigated herein are associated with the implementation of these human resource strategies. The key predictors are the proportion of older workers (aged 50 or older), organization size, seniority-based compensation, labor union involvement, training requirement, recruitment problems, and knowledge intensity. Structural equation modeling is used to assess whether these predictors are associated with the 3 latent factors., Results: The 7 key predictors of the 3 strategies show that these strategies are used simultaneously, but that the employers clearly use exit policies more intensively than they use development measures. Organizations thus use a dual approach to managing the employment of older workers. They may sort older workers either upwards (e.g., by encouraging career development and training) or outwards (by promoting early retirement). The same division can be detected when examining the effects of labor union involvement and seniority-based wages. When recruitment problems are encountered, more effort is directed toward accommodation and investment., Implications: Despite the warnings of policymakers about the possible consequences of an aging population, European employers are not yet formulating strategies that promote active aging, often still opting for the easy way out, via exit strategies., (© The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Studies suggest a higher prevalence of early retirement through disability among older people with lower educational attainment. There have been no national studies in Ireland on the factors that affect early withdrawal from the labour force through disability or long-term illness., Aims: To identify and analyse potential impacts of education on early retirement through disability in the over 50 age cohort of the Irish Labour force., Methods: We analysed the educational attainment of participants using The Irish Longitudinal Study of Ageing (TILDA). The group of interest were those aged 50-75 who had retired early. The sample was dichotomized on disability. Examination of interviewer-recorded information on background influences determining early retirement decisions included the following factors: age, gender, education, family and socio-economic circumstances, including parental education., Results: A total of 334 of 1179 study subjects (28%) retired early through disability. Comparison of those retired early with and without disability showed a significantly higher frequency of lower educational attainment both personally and for parents. Men with lower educational attainment and from a non-professional background were more likely to retire early through disability. Non-professional disabled respondents with less well-educated parents had lower educational attainment than non-disabled respondents., Conclusions: Among TILDA participants, educational attainment appears to influence early retirement through disability. The sector of previous employment was also a significant factor. Behaviour, lifestyle and employment choice are influenced by educational level, which may affect cognitive ability to process health information. Factors affecting the education-disability relationship could include parental education, employment status and socio-economic characteristics., (© The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Purpose of the Study: We examine whether from an organizational perspective it is possible to distinguish different ways of employing early retirees and explore how the employment of early retirees is related to the application of 4 age-based human resource (HR) policies, namely demotion, offering training opportunities to older workers, offering early retirement, and allowing flexible working hours., Design and Methods: We perform a latent class analysis on a sample of 998 Dutch organizations in order to categorize them based on 3 dimensions of their employment of early retirees. We then run a multinomial logistic regression to relate the employment of early retirees to the 4 age-based HR policies., Results: We distinguish 4 types of organizations based on their way of employing early retirees: nonusers (52.6%), users for mainly standard work (20.8%), users for mainly nonstandard work (9.8%), and users for standard and nonstandard work (16.7%). We find that organizations that apply demotion, offer early retirement, and allow flexible working hours are more likely to be users for mainly standard work. Also, organizations that do not offer early retirement are less likely to employ early retirees., Implications: Age-based HR policies, especially demotion, offering early retirement, and allowing flexible working hours, are conducive to the employment of early retirees for mainly standard work. Broader implementation of these policies may provide opportunities for older workers to make a more gradual transition from work to retirement., (© The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

While the official retirement age for most Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries is 65 years, the average employee in the majority of OECD countries retires considerably earlier. With the coming retirement of the baby boom generation, increasing life expectancy, and budget restrictions due to the financial crisis, most countries want to motivate employees to work longer. For these reasons, studying early retirement is highly relevant. In this article, we examine the determinants of early retirement among working and retired senior teachers between 45 and 65 years old in Flanders, Belgium. Although a widespread early exit culture exists among teachers and teacher shortages are expected in several countries, little attention has been given to the specific determinants of early retirement among teachers. Using multivariate linear regression analysis, we study the preferred retirement age of working teachers (n = 1,878) and the actual retirement age of retired teachers (n = 1,246). Financial factors, feelings of emotional exhaustion, and dissatisfaction with nonteaching-related workload (such as meetings and paperwork) have an important influence on the retirement decision. Results show that the majority of teachers make use of early exit schemes. This illustrates the existence of a widespread early exit culture among senior teachers in Flanders., (© The Author(s) 2014.)

Objective: This study examined whether workplace support, sociodemographic factors and co-morbidity are associated with early retirement or non-employment due to other reasons among breast cancer survivors. We also compared quality of life and chronic symptoms (pain, fatigue, anxiety and depression) among employed, retired and other non-employed breast cancer survivors., Methods: We identified breast cancer survivors diagnosed between 1997 and 2002 from either a hospital or a cancer registry in Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway (NOCWO study). All patients had been treated with curative intent. Information on employment, co-morbidity and support was collected via a questionnaire. The sample included 1111 working-aged cancer-free survivors who had been employed at the time of diagnosis. We used multinomial logistic regression models to analyse the association of various determinants with early retirement and other non-employment (due to unemployment, subsidized employment or being a homemaker)., Results: Low education, low physical quality of life, co-morbidity and pain were associated with both early retirement and other non-employment after cancer. Other non-employed survivors also rated their mental quality of life as lower and experienced anxiety and fatigue more often than all the other survivors. Moreover, they reported a lower level of supervisor support after their diagnosis than the employed survivors. Retired survivors more often reported weak support from colleagues., Conclusions: Differences in ill health and functional status between various groups of non-employed cancer survivors need to be considered when planning policy measures for improving the labour market participation of this population and preventing their early withdrawal from working life., (Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Background: The Australian general practice workforce is ageing. This and a trend towards higher exit intentions and earlier retirement make it increasingly important to identify those work and personal factors affecting intention to leave, which are amenable to change., Aims: To assess the various work, occupational and individual health factors associated with early retirement intentions among Australian rural general practitioners (GPs) that may be amenable to intervention., Methods: A cross-sectional study of GPs practising in rural Australia. Odds ratios of early retirement intentions across work, occupational and individual health factors were calculated., Results: There were 92 participants (response rate 56%), and 47% of responders intended to retire before 65. GPs with medium to high burnout levels had higher odds of intending to retire. Increased job satisfaction and work ability scores were associated with decreased retirement intentions, whereas increased physical and mental work ability demands were associated with an increase in retirement intentions. Absenteeism was not related to retirement intentions but presenteeism was. GPs reporting any work-related sleep problems were found to have a 3-fold increase in the odds of early retirement intentions. The odds of early retirement intentions also increased with higher psychological distress, worsening general health and longer working hours., Conclusions: From a health policy reform perspective, the greatest impact on reducing early retirement intentions among ageing GPs could potentially be made by intervening in areas of working hours, burnout and work-related sleep issues, followed by job satisfaction, psychological distress, health, general workability and mental and physical work ability., (© The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Age discrimination is a common problem in organizations. In our pilot study, we want to explore the processes how the desired retirement age is influenced by age discrimination and see psychological empowerment as an important mediator for the relationship between these variables. Data stem from an online questionnaire completed by 130 employees from different organizations in Germany (all 50 years or older). Our results show that age discrimination is an antecedent for the desired retirement age. It has a direct as well as an indirect (via psychological empowerment) effect on the desired retirement age., (© The Author(s) 2013.)

Objective: Returning to work often plays an important role for cancer survivors. Occupational stress may hamper a successful return to work, so cancer survivors should be given the opportunity to address occupational stress issues before returning to work. We investigated the amount of occupational stress among cancer patients and whether it is associated with their well-being, their subjective need for occupational rehabilitation and elevations in their risk of early retirement., Methods: At the beginning of rehabilitation, we asked cancer patients to respond to occupation-related and health-related questionnaires. We used t-tests, chi-square tests, and logistic regression analyses to address our research questions., Results: A total of 477 patients participated in the study. Of these, 19% were occupationally stressed, and 26% reported subjective need for occupational rehabilitation. Patients who reported work-related stress had a diminished quality of life, were more likely to report subjective need for occupational rehabilitation (OR = 2.16), and had a higher risk of early retirement (OR = 5.44). Furthermore, cancer patients reported deficits in both active coping abilities and mental stability at work., Conclusions: Because occupational stress is associated with a higher risk of early retirement, both patients and physicians should take work-related problems seriously. Screening patients for occupational stress may help physicians identify patients who are at risk of experiencing problematic work re-entries. Furthermore, the results of the study suggest that cancer patients might have problems maintaining confidence in their abilities to solve work-related problems. Therefore, facilitating the development of a perception of self-efficacy might be an important treatment goal., (Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Offers a brief overview of preretirement education in the United Kingdom and its meaning in an economy where forced redundancy can bring "retirement" at an early age. Highlights the Coping with Change Model, which focuses on insight into the feelings, issues, choices, and skills relevant to life changes. (DMM)

A competing-risk model was used to test the influence of strenuous work on ability to delay retirement. Hazard rate estimates on data from 3,038 older males found that physical job requirements and health conditions affect the likelihood of retiring in a disabled state. Strenuous and sedentary jobs did not differ greatly. (SK)