Work History and Later-Life Labor Force Participation: Evidence from a Large Telecommunications Firm

ILR Review ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gangaram Singh ◽  
Anil Verma
Keyword(s):  
Labor Force ◽  
Labor Force Participation ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Work History

Work History and Later-Life Labor Force Participation: Evidence from a Large Telecommunications Firm

ILR Review ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 699-715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gangaram Singh ◽  
Anil Verma
Keyword(s):  
Labor Force ◽  
Labor Force Participation ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Work History ◽  
Clerical Workers ◽  
Managerial Occupation ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Full Time Employment ◽  
Work Attachment

This study examines the relationship between later-life labor force participation and work history. Survey data on 1,805 Bell Canada early retirees show that 40% returned to work, of whom 17% took full-time employment, 51% took part-time employment, and 32% became self-employed. Return to work was positively related to work attachment and tenure in the last job, and negatively related to having been in a non-managerial occupation and lacking upward career mobility. Those with high attachment to work (as measured by responses to several survey questions) were more likely to return to full-time employment than to retire. Clerical workers were less likely than managers to choose part-time employment over retirement. Both lateral (versus upward) mobility in the last job and high work attachment were negatively related to the choice of self-employment over retirement.

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