Pathways to Retirement and Health Effects

Many governments have successfully introduced policies to raise pension and retirement agesRetirementretirement ages. At the same time, more people take gradual retirement or return to work after retirement. Yet there are inequalities with many people unable to continue working for longer due to disability or poor healthPoor health. The aim of this chapter is to review how national policies, work environments, and health influence exit from the labor market and to bring together evidence on the health effects of retirement with a focus on evidence from OECD countries. There are three main sections, each covering concepts, theories, methods, and some of the relevant research literature: (1) Pathways to retirement; (2) Predictors of early work exit and retirement; and (3) Effects of retirement on health. Our review of research shows that poor health across the life course and adverse work environments are related to early exit from the labor market. The evidence on the health effects of retirement is more mixed.