Job characteristics as risk factors for early retirement due to ill health: The Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (2006-2014)

Abstract

Objectives To investigate work‐related factors that contribute to early retirement due to ill health (ERIH) in middle‐aged and elderly people in Korea. Methods Data were collected from a sample from the first through the fifth phases of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging which was conducted biennially from 2006 to 2014. ERIH was defined as the retirement of workers due to health problems before their scheduled or regular retirement age as reported in one of the follow‐up surveys. Three broad subdomains of working conditions were examined: work arrangements, physical working conditions, and job satisfactions. Hazard ratios of ERIH were estimated by Cox regression. Results Females, older people, unskilled manual workers, and day laborers were more likely to experience ERIH. In adjusted Cox proportional hazard models, the risk for ERIH in male workers was significantly higher among those with the following conditions: high physical demands, awkward posture, dissatisfaction with the working environment, and no industrial compensation insurance or retirement benefits. However, no significant association was found among female participants. Conclusions Occupational class, physical working conditions, job satisfaction, and work arrangement were the potential risk factors for ERIH among male workers in Korea. Moreover, our results revealed gender differences in the risk for ERIH.

Nonstandard work arrangements.

“…Among agency workers, those who were stressed were 5 times more likely to experience days with activity limitations compared with nonstressed workers. Kang et al (2019) investigated work-related factors that contribute to early retirement due to ill health (ERIH) among middle-aged and elderly individuals using a sample from a Korean longitudinal survey conducted biennially from 2006 to 2014. Work-related factors included work arrangements, physical working conditions, and job satisfaction.…”

Deprivation and Early Involuntary Retirement: Area-Level Analysis across English Local Authorities – A local problem or a global phenomenon?

“…The influence of gender appears to vary, with male manual workers more affected in Scandinavian countries, whereas females appear to be more vulnerable in Korea. Such differences however may reflect occupational demographics rather than an independent risk conferred by gender (Knardhal et al, 2017, Kang et al, 2019).…”

Would It Kill You to Retire? Testing Short/Long Term/Recurrent Effects of Retirement on All-Cause Mortality Risk

“…Physical strains at work pose not only health risks in the long run, but also make it increasingly difficult for individuals to keep working (e.g., Kang et al, 2019). In other words, the level of physical demands matters not only to retirement decisions but also to mortality.…”