What Drives Older People in China to Work?

Xin Deng (), Kym Fraser () and Elisa Jean Jion Nor Pau
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Xin Deng: University of South Australia
Kym Fraser: University of South Australia
Elisa Jean Jion Nor Pau: Methodist College

Chapter Chapter 5 in Ageing in China, 2023, pp 69-89 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract China is posited to become the country with the largest older population in the world with rising longevity and declining fertility. Its myriad retirement schemes and retirement age rules date back to the 1950s and are not suited to the fast-rising ageing population. Its myriad retirement schemes and retirement age rule traced back in the 1950s are struggling to cope with the fast-rising ageing population. There is limited understanding on what motivates people to work at an older age in China. This study examines how access to different types of pensions, human capital and economic factors influence the propensity of people aged 50 and above to work in China. Data sourced from the 2013 and 2015 waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitude Survey (CHARLS) are utilised for the analysis. We find a distinct gender difference in terms of working decisions at an older age: not only are men more likely to work than women, but financial pressure and marriage are correlated with a man’s propensity to work. However, these factors have very little impact on women. Contrary to findings reported in previous literature, care responsibilities for parents does not have a statistically significant impact on an individual’s working decision. In addition, the impact of caring responsibilities for grandchildren, while statistically significant, does not differ between men and women in China.

Keywords: Propensity to Work; Pension; Retirement; Older Workers; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-981-19-9681-8_5

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DOI: 10.1007/978-981-19-9681-8_5

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