Working life expectancy in good and poor self-perceived health among Dutch workers aged 55–65 years with a chronic disease over the period 1992–2016

Abstract

Workers with a chronic disease extended their working lives by approximately 18 months from 1992 to 2016. In the first decade, unhealthy WLE increased, whereas in the second decade, healthy WLE increased, among both workers in general and workers initially having poor SPH.

Educational differences in duration of working life and loss of paid employment: working life expectancy in The Netherlands

“…Van der Noordt et al (17) reported WLE at age 58 years varying from 4.1-5.1 among lower educated individuals to 5.0-5.9 among higher educated individuals (17). De Wind et al (19) reported, based on the same data, a WLE at age 55 years of 5.7-6.8 years. Our study adds to these publications a life-course perspective on labor force participation from young age onwards.…”

“…Third, some studies have relied on small study populations (14) or cross-sectional data (18), which are sensitive to selection bias. Fourth, most studies have focused on WLE at age ≥50 (16,19), while many working years might be lost earlier in working life.…”

Glucose metabolism in midlife predicts participation in working life: a Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 study

“…To maintain sustainable economies in ageing western countries, both extending healthy years and maintaining work careers despite chronic diseases are needed 7. National diabetes prevention programmes using diabetes risk scores and laboratory screenings for high-risk individuals have shown that T2D can be prevented or postponed by consequent lifestyle changes 40.…”

“…If general, such phenomenon may leave the probable partial role of T2D underlying disabilities unnoticed, and emphasises the need for considering multiple physical and psychological aspects when addressing disabilities related to T2D. With the globally rising prevalence of T2D,11 the costs of impaired participation in working life call for using all means of prevention, including the best practices of workplace health promotion 7 37…”

“…Considerable numbers of working-aged people are, however, excluded from working life, either due to disability, that is, poor health or unemployment, that is, lack of work—or both. A specific challenge for welfare state regimes is that employees with chronic diseases transit from paid employment to statutory disability benefits and pensions,1–7 and to unemployment 1 3–5 8 9. This is unfortunate, as sustainable inclusion in working life might also be beneficial for health 10…”