# Late-career workforce participation in times of rising state pension age: the role of health and motivation

## TL;DR

This study examines how health and motivation affect older workers' decisions to stay in the workforce as retirement age increases in the Netherlands.

## Contribution

The study reveals that motivation becomes more important than health in sustaining late-career workforce participation during rising pension age.

## Key findings

- Workforce participation increased over time, with 58% to 82% of older workers continuing to work.
- Better self-rated health predicted continued working only in the latest period studied.
- Motivation to work became more significant in later years, with fewer workers citing lack of motivation in 2022 compared to 2019.

## Abstract

This study addresses late-career workforce participation and its association with health and motivation during nine years in which state pension age (SPA) rose gradually from 65 to 66.6 years in the Netherlands.

Using the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam, we studied workers aged 61–63 years who at 3-year follow-up had reached ages 64 years up to SPA, in 2013–2016 (n = 82), 2016–2019 (n = 111), and 2019–2022 (n = 119). Workforce participation was defined as continued working and number of working hours/week. Physical and mental health included self-rated health, functional limitations, depressive symptoms, and cognitive ability. Motivation consisted of self-reported reasons for (change in) workforce participation. Logistic (continued working) and linear (working hours) regression models were controlled for age, sex, educational level, and partner status.

Over time, 58% (2013–2016), 82% (2016–2019), and 72% (2019–2022) continued working. Among the health indicators, only better self-rated health predicted continued working, and only in 2019–2022. In continuing workers, working hours remained stable around 31 h in 2013–2016 and 2016–2019, but decreased to 26 h in 2019–2022. Poorer physical health predicted a decrease in working hours only in 2013–2016. Only in 2019–2022, better mental health was significantly associated with a reduction in working hours. Exited workers and workers who had reduced their working hours reported a lack of motivation to work more often in 2022 than in 2019.

In a period of rising SPA, an increasing share of workers aged 61-SPA continued work participation. Health played a minor role, whereas motivation to work became more important. Our findings suggest that the feasibility of maintaining late-career workers in the workforce requires attention to both health maintenance and enhancement of motivational factors at work.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-025-25556-1.