Work-related factors and interest in working while drawing an old-age pension

BACKGROUND: Working while drawing an old-age pension has become more common in recent years. Working is often occasional and part-time, but it has many benefits for individuals and society. Less is known about the importance of work-related factors to post-retirement employment. The aim of this study was to examine whether pre-retirement work-related factors are associated with working and interest in working alongside a pension. METHODS: The Finnish survey data (response rate=68%), supplemented with register data, included 3,212 old-age pensioners aged 55-68 who retired from work on an old-age pension between 2019-2021. The respondents were asked whether they had worked or would like to work while drawing an old-age pension. The survey also included questions about pre-retirement working conditions. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to estimate ORs and 95% CI for working while drawing a pension and the interest in working compared to those who had not worked or were not interested in working alongside the pension. RESULTS: 32 percent of old-age pensioners were working or had worked while drawing an old-age pension and 16 percent had not worked but would like to work. 52 percent had not worked while drawing a pension and they were not interested in working. The experience of work being an important area of life was strongly associated both to working while drawing a pension and to interest in working. Those old-age pensioners who found that working competence requirements had increased too much were working less often alongside a pension. The experience of work being too physically demanding was associated with less interest in working alongside a pension. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that favourable pre-retirement work-related factors increase old-age pensioners’ possibilities of and interest in working alongside a pension. KEY MESSAGES: • Many work-related factors, such as physical workload or finding work as an important area of life, are associated with working and being interested in working while drawing an old-age pension. • From a policy perspective, more attention should be placed on improving older workers’ working conditions to induce more people to continue working while drawing a pension.