Qualities of work, functioning and early retirement. A longitudinal study among Finnish ageing workers in 1981-1997

The objective of this study was to find out factors of work and work organization and lifestyle which were associated to early retirement. A total of 3815 persons replied to four cross-sectional questionnaires in 1981, 1985, 1992 and 1997. At the end of the follow-up, all of the subjects had retired (65% old-age pension, 20% early pension, 15% disability pension). The effects of occupational variables, functioning and activity level on transition to early pension (compared to old-age pension) were analyzed by logistic regression. The results indicate that spouse's retirement and morbidity increase the “risk” of early retirement, whereas possibilities for development and influence at work, responsibility for others, satisfaction with the work time system and meaningful work all reduced the risk. Also good functioning and involvement in activities prevented early retirement. The results of the present study confirm the fact that work-related factors play an important role in the retirement process. Furthermore, the importance of free-time activities indicates that they might serve as a preventive factor against early exit from work.