Examining retirement, bridge employment and full-time work in a community survey of older Australians: the influence of physical health, mental health and cognitive functioning
Peter Butterworth, Sarah C. Gill, Bryan Rodgers, Kaarin J. Anstey and Timothy Windsor
Centre for Mental Health Research, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, The Australian National University
Contact Email:   Peter.Butterworthanu.edu.au

The transition between full-time employment and complete retirement is often not crisp, with many people moving to complete retirement through participation in bridge employment activities involving reduced hours of work, change of occupation or industry, and lower levels of work commitment. There has been research interest in the factors associated with retirement transitions amongst older adults, with evidence that physical health is one of strongest predictors. Thus, declining functional ability may be an important determinant of retirement decisions, particularly the extent to which job performance is compromised. Cognitive functioning, including the decline in abilities associated with normal cognitive ageing, may also be an important factor that has been overlooked in most of the previous research. The aim of this paper is to examine the physical, mental and cognitive correlates of full-time employment, bridge employment or complete retirement in a community survey of older Australian men and women close to the traditional retirement age (aged between 60 and 64 years). In addition, we follow respondents longitudinally (over 4 years) to examine the extent to which physical, mental and cognitive functioning is associated with changes in employment status. This research contributes to understanding of the factors that influence older Australians’ decisions around retirement and may assist policy development.

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