Occupational tasks, work-related strain and the effect of pension reforms on retirement

In the context of demographic change, the public pension system faces major challenges. Pension reforms, such as raising the legal retirement age, are intended to secure the financial stability of the pension system. However, individual, occupational, company and societal factors can influence the effects of pension reforms on retirement and employment status. They are thus crucial in determining whether or not the reforms achieve their intended effects.

This project focuses on the relationship between pension reforms and strain- or task-related factors. Employees with high work-related risks, for instance, may be less likely than others to work until the new retirement age after the retirement age is raised. Also, employees in occupations that are subject to significant change may not be able to extend their working life because their skills are outdated. Instead, they may have to bridge the period between employment and retirement by drawing transfer benefits or in some other way.

The research project combines two strands of literature: the identification of causal effects of pension reforms, on the one hand, and the influence of work-related stress and occupational activities on the transition to retirement, on the other. To this end, the trajectories in later working life were analysed. Firstly, the effects of changes to the legal regulations on retirement on the employment status of the people analysed were determined. Subsequently, the differences in these effects were differentiated according to previous occupational activities and work-related stress.

The project provides a contribution to the important socio-political question of how different insured persons are affected by pension reforms. In this way, social policy support requirements were determined and empirical results obtained for the future design of the pension system.