STREAM Newsletter 14

In June 2018 the Health Council of the Netherlands published an advisory report titled ‘Health and working longer’. At the request of the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment,
the appointed committee gave advice on what is necessary, from a health perspective, to prolong working life. As yet, no research is available on actually working longer. Hence, findings were based on indicators of decreased employability.

The committee concluded that the likelihood of health problems increases with age, and that working longer may then be difficult. Low educated workers need special attention. Due to the large differences in health at higher ages, tailoring of interventions is needed. Furthermore, it was recommended to develop additional measures to support workers, and to explore whether flexible pensions are of interest.

Six studies based on STREAM data contributed to the evidence underlying the advisory report. In this newsletter, we will summarize these studies:

• Two studies by Leijten et al. found that health plays a role in early retirement and other exit routes from work.
• De Wind et al. added that other factors, such as financial and social factors, work factors, skills, and work engagement influence early retirement.
• Importantly, psychosocial work-related factors and individual factors may influence the relation between health and sustainable employability, as shown by Leijten et al. and
  Sewdas et al.

We hope you enjoy this newsletter!
The STREAM-team.

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