PRESIDENTIAL SYMPOSIUM: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE ON WORK AGING AND COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING—TYPE OF WORK MAKES A DIFFERENCE

摘要

Work is an important environment shaping the aging processes during the adult years. In that regard its characteristics and their cumulative as well as acute effects on physical and mental health in later life deserve great attention. Given that population aging has become a global trend with ensuing changes in the global labor market, increased attention is paid to investigating the effects of the timing of retirement around the world and the macroeconomic benefits often associated with delaying retirement. It will be essential for societies with aging populations to maintain productivity given an aging workforce and for individuals it will be crucial to add healthy and meaningful years rather than just number of years to their lives. The symposium presents first results from a unique international consortium of researchers from 8 countries pursuing the same analytical scheme and using harmonized data sets. During the symposium we will first discuss latest data on labor-force participation of older workers in eight countries, will discuss the influences that might govern labor-force participation of older adults, and thirdly present evidence from the same eight countries with regard to association between working at later ages and cognitive functioning as a function of type of job and of the amount of control available at the job.