There are different routes to retirement. Research on the timing of retirement and type of pension benefit provide information on how working lives have extended and how common various pension benefits are (such as the disability pension or the partial old-age pension).  

During the research program period, we will study retirement by pension benefit and population group, with a special focus on the effects of the 2017 pension reform. In addition to actual retirement, we will review the population’s retirement intentions and the connection between the intended and actual retirement age. We will review the connection between retirement and workplace-level factors, as well as employers’ attitudes to ageing workers and to the retirement ages within the pension system.  

The working life of many ends in retirement on a disability pension. Under this research programme, we will examine disability retirement rates, time-related changes in disability pension application and rejection rates, as well as how the changes differ between various population groups and how they affect the number of persons drawing a disability pension. We will also examine how health, work ability and working conditions affect retirement on a disability pension, measures that support work ability and the process of retirement.  

New study

Up to 40 per cent of the age group claiming partial old-age pension before retirement age

The popularity of early partial retirement has grown significantly in recent years. Among those born in 1956, about 20 per cent opted to retire before their retirement age, while among those born in 1959, the figure rose to 40 per cent, according to a new study by the Finnish Centre for Pensions.

Read more on Etk.fi:

• Up to 40 per cent of the age group claiming partial old-age pension before retirement age (3.5.2025)

More on other sites:

• Research publication: Characteristics of partial old-age pension recipients 2020–2023 (Julkari)

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The elimination of individual early retirement significantly reduced disability pension applications

The discontinuation of the individual early retirement option substantially affected the number of disability pension applications among individuals aged 60 and over, despite the criteria for disability pensions remaining unchanged for this demographic. The only modification was the relabelling of the pension from individual early retirement pension to disability pension. This relabelling resulted in a decrease of 1.8 percentage points in applications, equalling a 37 per cent reduction. The decline was more pronounced among individuals with lower educational levels. The research article was published in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization.

More on other sites:

• Research article: Relabeling’ of individual early retirement pension in Finland: Application and behavioral responses using Finnish register data (Science Direct)