Inequalities in extending working lives beyond age 60 in Canada, Denmark, Sweden and England—By gender, level of education and health
Open Access
- 17 August 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS) in PLOS ONE
- Vol. 15 (8), e0234900
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234900
Abstract
Keeping older workers in employment is critical for societies facing the challenge of an ageing population. This study examined the association between types of health conditions and differentials in the probability of employment by level of education among men and women between 60–69 years of age in Canada, Denmark, Sweden and England. Data were drawn from the Canadian Community Health Survey, Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe and English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. We combined country data, applied logistic regression, adjusted for educational level, and stratified the analysis by sex to calculate the odds ratio (OR) of employment (>15 hours work per week) for persons with physical health conditions, mental health conditions (depression) and physical-mental health comorbidity. The odds of employment among men and women with physical-mental health comorbidity were lower compared to those with no/other conditions (men: OR 0.32, 95% CI: 0.25–0.42, women: OR 0.38 95% CI: 0.30–0.48). Women with low education had lower odds of employment compared to their counterparts with high education (OR 0.66, 95% CI: 0.57–0.76). The odds of employment at older ages was lower in Canada, Denmark and England compared with Sweden (e.g. English men: OR 0.48 95% CI 0.40–0.58; English women OR 0.33 95% CI 0.27–0.41). The odds of employment beyond age 60 is lower for groups with low education, particularly women, and those with physical-mental health co-morbidities. As such, policies to extend working lives should not be ‘one size fits all’ but instead consider subgroups, in particular, these groups that we have shown to be most vulnerable on the labour market.Funding Information
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (EWL-14428)
- Innovationsfonden (5194-00004B)
- UK Economic and Social Research Council (ES/N019261/1)
- Forskningsrådet om Hälsa, Arbetsliv och Välfärd (2015-01531)
This publication has 42 references indexed in Scilit:
- Sickness, disability and work: Breaking the barriers - A synthesis of findings across OECD countries - By OECDInternational Social Security Review, 2011
- How Do Macro-Level Contexts and Policies Affect the Employment Chances of Chronically Ill and Disabled People? Part I: The Impact of Recession and DeindustrializationInternational Journal of Health Services, 2011
- Sickness, disability and work: Breaking the barriers - A synthesis of findings across OECD countries - OECDInternationale Revue für Soziale Sicherheit, 2011
- Epidemiology and impact of multimorbidity in primary care: a retrospective cohort studyBritish Journal of General Practice, 2011
- Ageing populations: the challenges aheadThe Lancet, 2009
- Risk factors for disability pension in a population-based cohort of men and women on long-term sick leave in SwedenEuropean Journal of Public Health, 2008
- Prevalence and predictors of depression in populations of elderly: a reviewActa Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 2006
- Development of the EURO–D scale – a European Union initiative to compare symptoms of depression in 14 European centresThe British Journal of Psychiatry, 1999
- Sex Stratification and Health Lifestyle: Consequences for Men's and Women's Perceived HealthJournal of Health and Social Behavior, 1994
- The CES-D ScaleApplied Psychological Measurement, 1977