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Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care

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Working longer: paid employment beyond 65 years

Rebecca Landy, National Cancer Institute, David Blane, UCL, Katey Matthews, University of Manchester and Morten Wahrendorf, University of Dusseldorf

Also, formerly: Bola Akinwale, Imperial College London

(Project no. 0301715, previously 30171)

The project will investigate the likely effects of raising the State Pension Age on health, informal caring and quality of life; and any effect of a state's welfare regime on these aspects of life in early old age. Part of the study will consider selection into continued employment. 

The project builds on a previous project within UK joint research councils programme New Dynamics of Ageing; specifically on the work published in Akinwale et al (2011). This study followed up men and women from the ONS-LS (1971-2001) in the 10 years before the State Pension Age (50-59 for women and 55-64 for men) to investigate differences in age-specific death rates by economic activity. They found that despite changes in labour market activity over time, the relative risk of mortality between the labour market groups has remained stable. This ICLS (International Centre for Lifecourse Studies) Q2 project will examine the decade after the State Pension Age; 60-69 for women & 65-74 for men in the UK at present. 

The project will investigate the likely effects of raising the State Pension Age on health, informal caring and quality of life; and any effect of a state's welfare regime on these aspects of life in early old age. It is especially of interest currently, due to the ageing population, ageing workforce and changes to retirement ages in the UK. Part of the study will consider selection into continued employment. Initially the work will focus on the UK, though later on an international comparison will be carried out.

This project is part of the ICLS Q2 project, which aims to examine those who continue in paid employment beyond the State Pension Age in order to predict the likely effects of raising the State Pension Age on paid employment, informal caring, health and quality of life, with due account taken of health selection into various combinations of post-SPA roles and Welfare State context.

Research questions include:

  • Earlier in their lives were those in paid employment at ages 60-69 (women) & 65-74 (men) years healthier than those who retired before or at the State Pension Age? 
  • After allowing for any such health selection, is paid employment during the period 60-69 (65-74) years associated with good or poor health? 
  • Is paid employment at 60-69 (65-74) years associated with a lower likelihood of being an informal carer? 
  • Which pattern of work during 60-69 (65-74) years (fulltime; part-time; combined, or not, with informal caring) is associated with the highest quality of life? 
  • Do these relationships vary with the type of welfare state: liberal (England & Wales); social democratic (Norway), former soviet bloc (Czech Republic), conservative (Italy)? 

Reference:

Akinwale B, Lynch K, Wiggins R, Harding S, Bartley M, Blane D.  Work, permanent sickness and mortality risk: a prospective cohort study of England and Wales, 1971-2006.Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2011;65:786-792 (doi:10.1136/jech.2009.099325).