Work and Retirement

Healthy ageing is shaped by experiences and outcomes related to working life and transition to and life in retirement. This chapter first provides an overview of older workers’ participation in paid work and considers their key strengths and contributions, reasons for remaining employed, and work-related barriers frequently faced such as age discrimination, injury/illness, and carer responsibilities. A work ability framework is useful for understanding influences on older workers’ continued workforce participation as it considers overall health and well-being (physical, psychological) and functional capacity and is included to gain an understanding of possible push/pull factors shaping decision-making around retirement. As discussed here, retirement is a major life transition and increasingly viewed as a process rather than one-off event. Pathways to retirement are identified such as moving to part-time or bridge employment, as well as the benefits of retirement planning and impact of voluntary versus involuntary retirement. The relationship of health status to retirement is considered with reference to differential occupational exposures, an increasingly casualised workforce and issues around work-life balance including differences in outcomes for men and women. Acknowledging the various factors influencing older workers’ experiences, the chapter concludes with discussion of lifestyles in retirement that may be shaped by one’s health status, age, gender, and level of financial security.