Research on working life and its development
The length and timing of working life and the earnings received during that period in life affect the pension accumulation on an individual level. On a system level, working lives affect the financial sustainability of the pension system. The socio-political aims of extending working lives and raising the employment rate increase the need for research data on the subject.
Under the research programme, we will do research on stages of and changes to working life that are significant from the point of view of pensions, and on the length of working life and income and related changes per population groups. A central subarea of our research is the labour market participation of the oldest working-age population. In addition, we focus on the early and mid-stages of working life and changes to and interruptions in working life. An increasing number of persons work in retirement. Under this research programme, we will therefore examine how common it is for people in Finland to work while drawing a pension and the underlying reasons for doing so.
New studies
Working conditions play a key role in post-retirement labour market participation
Working conditions before retirement are associated with labour market participation after retirement. According to the study, pre-retirement working conditions – such as job demands, physical workload and social support at work – are linked to post-retirement employment. These associations vary depending on whether people continue working for financial reasons or for other motives. The findings highlight the important role of positive working conditions in enabling post-retirement labour market participation. Workplaces should therefore develop a broad range of measures to support longer working lives while taking individual motivations into account. The article was published in PLOS One.
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Employment pathways differ among full and partial disability retirees
A partial disability pension supports continued employment among people receiving a disability pension. In a study based on a five-year follow-up period, a large proportion of partial disability pension recipients worked throughout the period or for most of the time they were receiving a pension. In contrast, many recipients of a full disability pension did not work at all or worked only for a short period. Employment pathways varied considerably according to individual-level factors. The study followed people who started receiving either a full or a partial disability pension in 2018. The article was published in BMC Public Health.
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Platform workers face more variability in income and labour market status than rest of population
Platform workers in Finland have a lower average annual income than people who do not engage in platform work, new research indicates. Platform workers’ income and sources of income also vary more than in the rest of the population. They transition more frequently than others between wage employment, self-employment, studies and unemployment.
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Growth in pensioners’ employment has stalled
For many years, the number of old-age pensioners has been on the rise, but now the trend has levelled off. The rising retirement age has led to a decline in the number of working pensioners. Working particularly attracts pensioners who are highly educated and have higher incomes.
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The number of people with partial work ability is growing, and an increasing share are employed
The self-rated work ability has improved in the 2000s among those over 50 but declined among young age groups. The number of people with a partial work ability has increased especially among the unem-ployed. Of them, nearly half assessed themselves as partially disabled. Numerically, the highest number of persons with a partial work ability can be found among those in employment. The employment rate among the partially disabled has increased particularly among the over-50-year-olds. The study, based on data collected by the Finnish Institue for Health and Welfare, was published in the journal “Työpoliittinen aikakauskirja’” (Journal of labour policy).
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