Pathways to Labor Force Exit: Work Transitions and Work Instability
Open Access
- 1 January 1997
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
- Vol. 52B (1) , S4-S12
- https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/52b.1.s4
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine alternative pathways to labor force exit among older men. Based on the life course perspective, we distinguish between crisp exits from the labor force, which are characterized as being unidirectional, and blurred transition patterns, which include repeated exits, entrances, and unemployment spells. Using longitudinal data from the 1984 Survey of Income and Program Participation, we find that one-quarter of the sample of men aged 55 to 74 at first interview experienced at least one transition in labor force status over a 28-month observation period. Fewer than half of these can be characterized as crisp exits from the labor force. Our multivariate analysis suggests that blurred transition patterns are likely part of an effort to maintain economic status in later life.Keywords
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