An ageing population and lower birth rates are increasing financial pressure on the welfare systems of many countries. This has led to a focus on helping more older workers remain in work to the statutory pension age and beyond. Although many underline the health-promoting aspects of work, the research evidence is still scarce. To a large degree, it depends on individual resources as well as career, job and workplace characteristics over the life course.
Through innovative use of register data and panel-survey data, we will investigate whether prolonged working careers benefit or harm health. The project will among other things identify the prevalence of (chronic) illness/disease in the total population, both prior to, and after retirement, and how working conditions and occupational exposures affect this. A special focus will be on the variation in health by occupations, gender and country (Norway, Denmark and Sweden).
Project period: 2021-2028
Project leader: Karl-Christian Nordby
Project group members: Ingrid Sivesind Mehlum, Karina Undem, Rachel Hasting
Research area: Epidemiology and social conditions
External collaborators: Fafo (Norway), Karolinska Institutet (Sweden), The Danish Center for Social Science Research (Denmark)
Financing: Research Council of Norway (NFR) (project 325646)
Additional info: Link to NFR website: Work and Health in Old Age – For whom is continued work beneficial to health? – Prosjektbanken
More information is to be found on the Norwegian project page.