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Do Involuntary Longer Working Careers Reduce Well-being?

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  • Lieze Sohier

    (Ghent University)

Abstract

This study examines the impact of working at older age on the individual’s overall well-being. The paper uses microdata from the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), and it controls for individual heterogeneity and for changes in the level of well-being during retirement. On average, older workers do not significantly differ from retirees regarding their life satisfaction level. In addition, this study takes into account the worker’s perceived freedom of choice in the decision to work longer (voluntary or forced). In this way, this research identifies a group of workers (“involuntary workers”) who experience a significantly lower level of well-being when continuing to work. After retiring, this group reports greater satisfaction with their lives but continues to suffer from being previously involuntarily employed. As result, these workers continue to be less satisfied with their lives than those who were voluntary workers. These findings have an important implication for the debate on longer working careers. The worker’s perceived freedom of choice in the decision to continue working is a determining factor in the individual well-being of older persons.

Suggested Citation

  • Lieze Sohier, 2019. "Do Involuntary Longer Working Careers Reduce Well-being?," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 14(1), pages 171-196, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ariqol:v:14:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1007_s11482-017-9586-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s11482-017-9586-8
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    Cited by:

    1. Lieze Sohiers & Luc Van Ootegem & Elsy Verhofstadt, 2019. "Determinants Of Involuntary Employment In Europe," Working Papers of Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Ghent University, Belgium 19/956, Ghent University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration.
    2. Lieze Sohier & Bart Defloor & Luc Van Ootegem & Elsy Verhofstadt, 2022. "Determinants of the Willingness to Retire of Older Workers in Europe," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 164(3), pages 1017-1041, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Life satisfaction; Retirement; Involuntary employment; Longer working careers; Aging;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J26 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Retirement; Retirement Policies
    • J28 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Safety; Job Satisfaction; Related Public Policy
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being

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