The Relationship Between Job Characteristics and Retirement

We study the influence of job characteristics on prospective retirement as measured by the probability of working past age 62 or 65. The characteristics fall into three broad classes: physical and mental requirements, job flexibility including employer accomodation to older workers, and financial aspects such as pensions and health care insurance. Using data from the Health and Retirement Survey, we find that physical and mental job requirements have a rather small influence on prospective retirement, whereas measures of job flexibility and financial aspects of the job are important determinants.