Improvements in several psychosocial work factors are associated with lower intentions among midlife and older healthcare workers to leave employment prior to reaching age-based retirement, according to a prospective cohort study published in the European Journal of Ageing. The authors set out to investigate whether documented improvements in both work-related and health-related factors were linked to intentions to cease working before age-based retirement or intentions to retire among employees aged 40 years or older.
The investigation evaluated a study cohort comprising 4,019 social and healthcare personnel in Finland. Female employees represented the large majority of the analyzed sample, accounting for 89 percent of participants, and the mean age across the cohort was 51 years. The participants took part in repeated survey assessments conducted between 2017 and 2022.
To examine the prospective associations between these longitudinal changes and subsequent retirement intentions, the investigators applied a prospective cohort study design utilizing propensity score weighting alongside generalized linear models. The statistical models specifically estimated how positive adjustments in workplace demands, control, and rewards related to intentions to stop working before age-based retirement or to retire.
Specifically, a reduction in job demands was associated with a relative risk of 0.85, with a 95 percent confidence interval spanning from 0.74 to 0.98. In addition, a reduction in the overall job demand-control ratio was associated with a relative risk of 0.77, accompanied by a 95 percent confidence interval between 0.65 to 0.91, reflecting a lower risk of reporting early exit intentions.
Increases in workplace autonomy, scheduling flexibility, and recognition were also associated with reduced intentions to stop working before age-based retirement. An increase in job control was associated with a relative risk of 0.87, with a 95 percent confidence interval ranging from 0.75 to 1.01. An increase in job rewards was linked to a relative risk of 0.81, with a 95 percent confidence interval of 0.70 to 0.94. Furthermore, an increase in worktime control was associated with a relative risk of 0.80, with a 95 percent confidence interval between 0.69 to 0.93.
Beyond general intentions to cease working before age-based retirement, the researchers evaluated specific pension considerations, working time modifications, and health factors. An increase in job rewards demonstrated an association with a reduced risk of considering applying for a disability or other pension, yielding an estimated relative risk of 0.69 with a 95 percent confidence interval of 0.51 to 0.94. Conversely, shortening working hours did not reduce exit plans; rather, shortening working hours appeared to increase early exit intentions. Meanwhile, measured improvements in health-related factors were not associated with lower intentions to stop working.
In their summary, the authors reported that improvements in several psychosocial work factors were associated with lower intentions to stop working before age-based retirement among midlife and older social and healthcare staff. The research team concluded that these specific psychosocial dimensions should be actively taken into account when designing organizational strategies that seek to promote sustained labor market participation among midlife and older healthcare personnel.
Subject of Research: Psychosocial work factors and early retirement intentions among healthcare employees
Article Title: Improvements in work- and health-related factors and intentions to continue working until age-based retirement or to retire: a prospective cohort study using propensity score weighting
Article References: Poutanen, J., Haukka, E., Joensuu, M., Lallukka, T., Ervasti, J., Härmä, M., Koskinen, A., & Shiri, R. (2026). Improvements in work- and health-related factors and intentions to continue working until age-based retirement or to retire: a prospective cohort study using propensity score weighting. European Journal of Ageing. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-026-00957-2
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.1007/s10433-026-00957-2
Keywords: job demands, job control, worktime control, job rewards, job demand-control ratio, psychosocial work factors, retirement intentions, age-based retirement, early exit intentions, disability pension, social and health care employees, prospective cohort study, propensity score weighting, generalized linear models, working hours, labor market participation, occupational health