The effect of employment on the subjective well-being of 60–80 years old people

Hila Axelrad, Arie Sherman, Israel Luski

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose: The current study investigates the association of employment at older age (60–80 years) with the cognitive component of subjective well-being (SWB): life satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach: Out of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), the present study’s sample included 58,197 observations of participants aged 60–80 years from 18 countries. The authors estimate the direct effects of employment and number of working hours on life satisfaction while considering the characteristics of the job and their impact. Findings: Results reveal that individuals who do not work enjoy a higher level of life satisfaction and so do those who work in developing jobs. Work under pressure reduces the level of SWB and working in physically demanding jobs has no significant impact on SWB. The results confirm previous findings regarding the positive contribution of self-employment to individuals’ SWB. Originality/value: The results allow policy makers to implement policy measures that can improve older workers' SWB.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1481-1497
Number of pages17
JournalInternational Journal of Social Economics
Volume47
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - 13 Nov 2020

Keywords

  • Employment
  • Life satisfaction
  • Older workers
  • SHARE
  • Subjective well-being

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Social Sciences
  • Economics and Econometrics

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