Poor psychosocial work environment: a ticket to retirement? Variations by gender and education

Harpa S. Eyjólfsdóttir (), Tale Hellevik, Katharina Herlofson, Axel West Pedersen, Carin Lennartsson and Marijke Veenstra
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Harpa S. Eyjólfsdóttir: Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University
Tale Hellevik: Norwegian Social Research (NOVA), Oslo Metropolitan University
Katharina Herlofson: Norwegian Social Research (NOVA), Oslo Metropolitan University
Axel West Pedersen: Norwegian Social Research (NOVA), Oslo Metropolitan University
Carin Lennartsson: Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University
Marijke Veenstra: Akershus University Hospital

European Journal of Ageing, 2025, vol. 22, issue 1, No 18, 15 pages

Abstract: Abstract Many countries, including Norway, are implementing policies to delay retirement and encourage older workers to remain in the labour market. Improving psychosocial working conditions may motivate older workers to continue working. While research has linked psychosocial working characteristics to retirement intentions and work exit, there is a knowledge gap regarding gender and socioeconomic differences in these influences. This study investigates the impact of psychosocial working characteristics on employment exit among older workers, examining variations by gender and educational attainment. Data were drawn from the Norwegian Life Course, Ageing, and Generation study (NorLAG) collected in 2007 and 2017 (N = 2,065) linked to income register data for four subsequent years. Time-to-event analyses revealed that poorer psychosocial working environment increased the likelihood of employment exit. For women, low autonomy was significant, while for men significant associations were found for high job stress, low job variety, lack of appreciation, limited learning opportunities, accumulation of poor job resources, and job strain. Interaction analysis showed only significant gender differences for few learning opportunities and poor job resources. Separate analyses stratified by educational attainment showed no significant association for those with compulsory education, while those with higher levels of education were more likely to retire if faced with low job variety, low autonomy, and poor job resources–yet interaction analysis showed no significant differences. These findings suggest that interventions aimed at delaying retirement should consider gender and socioeconomic differences, providing older workers with more control over their tasks and equitable access to learning opportunities and resources.

Keywords: Work exit; Ageing; Psychosocial work characteristics; Job resources; Job strain (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s10433-025-00855-z

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