Hostname: page-component-7dd5485656-s6l46 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-10-31T06:11:09.007Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Retirement intentions: what is the role of push factors in predicting retirement intentions?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 April 2012

JODI OAKMAN  and
YVONNE WELLS
JODI OAKMAN*
Affiliation:
Centre for Ergonomics and Human Factors, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia.
YVONNE WELLS
Affiliation:
Lincoln Centre for Research on Ageing, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia.
*
Address for correspondence: Jodi Oakman, Centre for Ergonomics and Human Factors, La Trobe University, Bundoora 3086, Vic, Australia. E-mail: joakman@latrobe.edu.au
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Population ageing will significantly impact labour markets in most Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries and as a result individuals will need to remain in paid employment for longer to fund their retirement years. This study examines the retirement intentions of employees of a large public-sector organisation located in Victoria, Australia that was interested in developing policies to assist with retention of their mature-age workforce. Multivariate regression analyses were used to identify the most important predictors of intention to retire. The dependent variable, Intended timing of retirement, was analysed in two forms, as continuous and dichotomised measures. Age and Length of service were strong independent predictors of Intention to retire soon (within five years). Of the work factors that were analysed (Job satisfaction, Job demands, Job control, and Social cohesion), low Job satisfaction and high Social cohesion scores indicated an increased likelihood of retiring soon. The results provide some insight into the development of organisational interventions that might assist with retaining older employees for longer.

Keywords

retirementageing workforceworkorganisational influencespolicyretentionolder workers

Information

Type
Articles
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 33 , Issue 6 , August 2013 , pp. 988 - 1008
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Access Economics Pty Ltd 2001. Population Ageing and the Economy. Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, Canberra.Google Scholar
Adams, G. A. 1999. Career-related variables and planned retirement age: an extension of Beehr's model. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 55, 2, 221–35.Google Scholar
Atchley, R. 1982. Retirement as a social institution. Annual Review of Sociology, 8, 263–87.Google Scholar
Auer, P. and Fortuny, M. 2000. Ageing of the Labour Force in OECD Countries: Economic and Social Consequences. International Labour Office, Geneva.Google Scholar
Australian Government 2007. The Intergenerational Report 2007. Treasury, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra.Google Scholar
Bakker, A. and Demerouti, E. 2007. The job demand–resources model: state of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22, 3, 309–28.Google Scholar
Beehr, T. 1986. The process of retirement: a review and recommendations for future investigation. Personnel Psychology, 39, 1, 31–55.Google Scholar
Beehr, T., Glazer, S., Nielson, N. L. and Farmers, S. J. 2000. Work and nonwork predictors of employees’ retirement ages. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 57, 2, 206–26.Google Scholar
Bird, C. P. and Fisher, T. D. 1986. Thirty years later: attitudes toward the employment of older workers. Journal of Applied Psychology, 71, 3, 515–7.Google Scholar
Blekesaune, M. and Solem, P. E. 2005. Working conditions and early retirement: a prospective study of retirement behavior. Research on Aging, 27, 1, 3–30.Google Scholar
Borowski, A., Encel, S. and Ozanne, E. (eds) (2007). Longevity and Social Change in Australia. UNSW, Sydney.Google Scholar
Brooke, L. 2003. Human resource costs and benefits of maintaining a mature-age workforce. International Journal of Manpower, 24, 3, 260–83.Google Scholar
Clark, A. and Oswald, A. 1994. Unhappiness and unemployment. The Economic Journal, 104, 424, 648–59.Google Scholar
Clark, A., Oswald, A. and Warr, P. 1996. Is job satisfaction U-shaped in age? Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 69, 1, 57–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
D'Amato, A. and Zilstra, R. H. 2007. Psychological climate and individual factors as antecedents of work outcomes. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 17, 1, 33–54.Google Scholar
de Vaus, D. A. 2002. Surveys in Social Research. Fifth edition, Allen & Unwin, Sydney.Google Scholar
Dollard, M. and Bakker, A. 2010. Psychosocial safety climate as a precursor to conducive work environments, psychological health problems, and employee engagement. Journal of Occupational and Organisational Psychology, 83, 3, 579–99.Google Scholar
Ekerdt, D. J., Kosloski, K. and DeViney, S. 2000. The normative anticipation of retirement by older workers. Research on Aging, 22, 1, 3–22.Google Scholar
Elovainio, M., Forma, P., Kivimaki, M., Sinervo, T., Sutinen, R. and Laine, M. 2005. Job demands and job control as correlates of early retirement thoughts in Finnish social and health care employees. Work and Stress, 19, 1, 84–92.Google Scholar
Elovainio, M., Kivimaki, M., Vahtera, J., Ojanlatva, A., Korkeila, K., Suominen, S., Helenius, H. and Koskenvuo, M. 2003. Social support, early retirement, and a retirement preference: a study of 10489 Finnish adults. JOEM, 45, 4, 433–9.Google Scholar
Feldman, D. C. 1994. The decision to retire early: a review and conceptualization. The Academy of Management Review, 19, 2, 285.Google Scholar
Frese, M. 1999. Social support as a moderator of the relationship between work stressors and psychological dysfunctioning: a longitudinal study with objective measures. Journal of Occupational and Health Psychology, 4, 3, 179–92.Google Scholar
Ginn, J. and Arber, S. 2005. Longer working: imposition or opportunity? Midlife attitudes to work across the 1990s. Quality in Ageing, 6, 2, 26–35.Google Scholar
Griffeth, R. W., Hom, P. W. and Gaertner, S. 2000. A meta-analysis of antecedent and correlates of employee turnover: update moderator test and research implications for the next millennium. Journal of Management, 26, 3, 463–88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Griffiths, A. 2007. Healthy work for older workers: work design and management factors. In Lorretto, W., Vickerstaff, S. and White, P. (eds), The Future for Older Workers: New Perspectives. Policy Press, Bristol, UK, 121–37.Google Scholar
Hancock, T. 2000. Health care reform and reform for health: creating a health system for communities in the 21st century. Futures, 31, 5, 417–36.Google Scholar
Harkonmaki, K., Rahkonen, O., Martikainen, P., Silventoinen, K. and Lahelma, E. 2006. Associations of SF-36 mental health functioning and work and family related factors with intentions to retire early among employees. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 63, 8, 558–63.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Henkens, K. and Tazelaar, F. 1994. Early retirement of civil servants in the Netherlands. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 24, 21, 1927–43.Google Scholar
Humpel, N., Loughlin, O., Wells, Y. and Kendig, H. 2009. Ageing baby boomers in Australia: evidence informing actions for better retirement. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 44, 4, 399–415.Google Scholar
Ilmarinen, J. 2005. Towards a Longer Worklife. Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki.Google Scholar
Kalleberg, A. L. and Loscocco, K. A. 1983. Aging, values, and rewards: explaining age differences in job satisfaction. American Sociological Review, 48, 1, 78–90.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Karasek, R. and Theorell, T. 1990. Healthy Work: Stress, Productivity, and the Reconstruction of Working Life. Basic Books, New York.Google Scholar
Kite, M. E., Stockdale, G. D., Whitley, B. E. and Johnson, B. T. 2005. Attitudes toward younger and older adults: an updated meta-analytic review. Journal of Social Issues, 61, 2, 241–66.Google Scholar
Kohli, M. and Rein, M. 1991. The changing balance of work and retirement. In Kohli, M., Rein, M., Guillemard, A. and van Gunsteren, H. (eds), Time for Retirement: Comparative Studies of Early Exit from the Labor Force. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1–35.Google Scholar
Kooij, D., de Lange, A., Jansen, P. and Dikkers, J. 2008. Older workers’ motivation to continue to work: five meanings of age. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 23, 4, 364–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kosloski, K., Ekerdt, D. J. and DeViney, S. 2001. The role of job-related rewards in retirement planning. Journal of Gerontology, 56B, 3, 160–9.Google Scholar
Kristensen, T. S. 1996. Job stress and cardiovascular disease: a theoretic critical review. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 1, 3, 246–60.Google Scholar
Kristensen, T. S., Hannerz, H., Hogh, A. and Borg, V. 2005. The Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire – a tool for the assessment and improvement of the psychosocial work environment. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 31, 6, 438–49.Google Scholar
Kubiecek, B., Korunka, C., Hoonakker, P. and Raymo, J. M. 2010. Work and family characteristics as predictors of early retirement in married men and women. Research on Aging, 32, 4, 467–97.Google Scholar
Macdonald, W. 2003 a. Workload and workplace stress. In Peterson, C. (ed.), Work Stress, Studies of the Context, Content and Outcomes of Stress. Baywood Publishing Company, Amityville, New York, 113–38.Google Scholar
Macdonald, W. 2003 b. Work demands and stress in repetitive blue-collar work. In Peterson, C. (ed.), Work Stress, Studies of the Context, Content and Outcomes of Stress. Baywood Publishing Company, Amityville, New York, 139–63.Google Scholar
Mackinnon, A., Ranzijn, R. and Le Sueur, E. 2003. Bounded choices: how much ‘choice’ is there in decision making for an ageing population? Applied Population and Policy, 1, 1, 55–65.Google Scholar
Maestas, N. 2010. Back to work: expectations and realizations of work after retirment. Journal of Human Resources, 45, 3, 719–48.Google Scholar
Marshall, V. W. 1995. Rethinking retirement: issues for the twenty-first century. In Gee, E., and Gutman, G. (eds), Rethinking Retirement. Gerontology Research Centre, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, 31–50.Google Scholar
Mein, G., Martikainen, P., Stansfeld, S. A., Brunner, E. J., Fuhrer, R. and Marmot, M. G. 2000. Predictors of early retirement in British civil servants. Age and Ageing, 29, 6, 529–36.Google Scholar
Moseley, J. L. and Dessinger, J. C. 2007. Training Older Workers and Learners. John Wiley & Sons, San Francisco.Google Scholar
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 2006. Ageing and Employment Policies: Live Longer, Work Longer. OECD, Paris.Google Scholar
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 2007. Ageing and the Public Service: Human Resource Challenges. OECD, Paris.Google Scholar
Productivity Commission 2005. Economic Implications of an Ageing Australia. Productivity Commission, Canberra.Google Scholar
Quine, S. and Carter, S. 2006. Australian baby boomers’ expectations and plans for their old age. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 25, 1, 3–8.Google Scholar
Rhoades, L. and Eisenberger, R. 2002. Perceived organizational support: a review of the literature. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87, 4, 698–714.Google Scholar
Rhodes, S. 1983. Age-related differences in work attitudes and behavior: a review and conceptual analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 93, 2, 328–67.Google Scholar
Rix, S. 2008. Age and work in the United States of America. In Taylor, P. (ed.), Ageing Labour Forces: Promises and Prospects. Edward Elgar Publishing, Bodmin, UK, 111–40.Google Scholar
Shacklock, K., Brunetto, Y. and Nelson, S. 2009. The different variables that affect older males’ and females’ intentions to continue working. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 47, 1, 79–101.Google Scholar
Shacklock, K., Fulop, L. and Hort, L. 2007. Managing older worker exit and re-entry practices: a ‘revolving door’? Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 45, 2, 151–67.Google Scholar
Shephard, R. 1999. Age and physical work capacity. Experimental Aging Research, 25, 4, 331–43.Google Scholar
Shultz, K. S., Morton, K. R. and Weckerle, J. 1998. The influence of push and pull factors on voluntary and involuntary early retirees’ retirement decision and adjustment. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 53, 1, 45–57.Google Scholar
Sibbald, B., Bojke, C. and Gravelle, H. 2003. National survey of job satisfaction and retirement intentions among general practitioners in England. British Medical Journal, 326, 7379, 22–5.Google Scholar
Siegrist, J. 1996. Adverse health effects of high-effort/low-reward conditions. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 1, 1, 27–41.Google Scholar
Sparks, K., Faragher, B. and Cooper, C. L. 2001. Well-being and occupational health in the 21st century workplace. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 74, 4, 489–509.Google Scholar
Stoney, C. and Roberts, M. 2003. The Case for Older Workers at Tesco: An Examination of Attitudes, Assumptions and Attributes. Working Paper No. 53, Carleton University, School of Public Policy and Administration, Ottawa.Google Scholar
Swan, W. 2010. Australia to 2050: Future Challenges. Treasury, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra.Google Scholar
Taylor, M. A. and Shore, L. M. 1995. Predictors of planned retirement age: an application of Beehr's model. Psychology and Aging, 10, 1, 76–83.Google Scholar
Taylor, P. and Walker, A. 1998. Employers and older workers: attitudes and employment practices. Ageing & Society, 18, 6, 641–58.Google Scholar
von Nordheim, F. 2004. Responding well to the challenge of an ageing and shrinking workforce. European Union policies in support of member state efforts to retain, reinforce and re-integrate older workers in employment. Social Policy and Society, 3, 2, 145–53.Google Scholar
Walker, A. 1999. Combating age discrimination at the workplace. Experimental Aging Research, 25, 4, 367–76.Google Scholar
Warr, P. 1992. Age and occupational well-being. Psychology and Aging, 7, 1, 37–45.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Warr, P. 1994. Age and job performance. In Snel, J. and Cremer, R. (eds), Work and Aging: A European Persepctive. Taylor & Francis, London, 309–322.Google Scholar
Warr, P. 2002. Psychology at Work. Penguin, London.Google Scholar
Warren, N. 2001. Work stress and musculoskeletal disorder etiology: the relative roles of psychosocial and physical risk factors. Work, 17, 221–34.Google Scholar
Winefield, A. H., Montgomery, B., Gault, U., Muller, J., O'Gorman, J., Reser, J. and Roland, D. 2002. The psychology of work and unemployment in Australia today: an Australian Psychological Society discussion paper. Australian Psychologist 37, 1, 1–9.Google Scholar
Wright, T. A. and Bonett, D. G. 2007. Job satisfaction and psychological well-being as nonadditive predictors of workplace turnover. Journal of Management, 33, 2, 141–60.Google Scholar