Older adults' integration in the labour market: A global view

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Axel Börsch-Supan - , Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy, Technical University of Munich, National Bureau of Economic Research (Author)
  • Felizia Hanemann - , Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy, Technical University of Munich (Author)
  • Brian Beach - , International Longevity Centre-UK (ILC-UK) (Author)
  • Didier Halimi - , International Longevity Centre-France (ILC-F) (Author)
  • Susana Harding - , Tsao Foundation, International Longevity Centre-Singapore (ILC-SIN) (Author)
  • Marieke Van Der Waal - , Leyden Academy on Vitality and Ageing, International Longevity Centre-Netherlands (ILC-NL) (Author)
  • Daisuke Watanabe - , Seikei University, International Longevity Centre-Japan (ILC-J) (Author)
  • Ursula M. Staudinger - , Columbia University (Author)

Abstract

What governs labour force participation in later life and why is it so different across countries? Health and labour force participation in older ages are not strongly linked, but we observe a large variation across countries in old-Age labour force participation. This points to the important role of country-specific regulations governing pension receipt and old-Age labour force participation. In addition to the statutory eligibility age for a pension, such country-specific regulations include: earnings tests that limit the amount of earnings when pension benefits are received; the amount of benefit deductions for early retirement; the availability of part-Time pensions before normal retirement; special regulations that permit early retirement for certain population groups; and either subsidies or extra costs for employers if they keep older employees in their labour force. This paper asks two questions: Can we link a relatively low labour force participation at ages 60-64 to country-specific regulations that make early retirement attractive? and Can we link a relatively high labour force participation at ages 65-74 to country-specific regulations that make late retirement attractive? To answer these questions, we compared the experiences in a set of developed countries around the world in order to understand better the impact of country-specific rules and laws on work and retirement behaviour at older ages and, by consequence, on the financial sustainability of pension systems.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)917-935
Number of pages19
Journal Ageing and society : the journal of the Centre for Policy on Ageing and the British Society of Gerontology
Volume41
Issue number4
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2021
Peer-reviewedYes
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals

Keywords

  • labour market participation, pension systems, population ageing, retirement incentives, retirement policies

Library keywords