Abstract
Formal labor market conditions no longer fit older adults’ needs in Chile, “pushing” them towards informal employment. This shows an urgent need to make specific work arrangements to accommodate older workers in their jobs. We investigate the extent to which demographic, psychosocial, and work-related factors are associated with working beyond legal retirement age in Chile. Quantitative data is based on the national survey on Work and Elderly People (2017), while qualitative data consists of ten semi-structured interviews with older workers. The quantitative results show that good health conditions, occasional care of grandchildren, good job quality, and intrinsic motivation were positively and significantly associated with extended working lives among elderly Chileans. The qualitative data reveal that apart from the economic need, the main reasons to continue working included the willingness to stay up-to-date and to preserve significant interpersonal relations. The findings suggest that intrinsic motivation to continue working past legal retirement age is just as significant as the work-related factors. This research highlights the aspects associated with older adults’ predisposition to continue working after legal retirement age in Chile, and thus could help develop appropriate age-friendly work policies to retain older adults within organizations.
Presenters
Milda GalkuteResearch Assistant, Department of Sociology, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2020 Special Focus—Aging Societies: Extended Working Lives and Discrimination Against Older Workers
KEYWORDS
Working beyond retirement, Employment, Extended careers, Older workers, Work policies
