Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-21T12:21:44.341Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

How do older workers use nontraditional jobs?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 May 2020

Alicia Munnell ,
Geoffrey T. Sanzenbacher  and
Abigail N. Walters
Alicia Munnell
Affiliation:
Center for Retirement Research, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA
Geoffrey T. Sanzenbacher
Affiliation:
Center for Retirement Research, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA
Abigail N. Walters*
Affiliation:
Center for Retirement Research, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA
*
*Corresponding author. Email: walteran@bc.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Working consistently through one's early 60s is key to retirement security. However, workers without access to retirement plans and health insurance will likely struggle to achieve such security. This paper uses the Health and Retirement Study to identify nontraditional jobs – which lack these benefits – and applies sequence analysis to explore how workers aged 50–62 use them. The results suggest that most nontraditional jobs are used by workers consistently, and that fewer workers use these jobs briefly or as a bridge to retirement. Workers consistently in nontraditional jobs end up with less retirement income and are more likely to be depressed.

Keywords

Alternative workemployer benefitsnontraditional jobsolder workersretirement securitysequence analysis

JEL classification

J32: Nonwage Labor Costs and Benefits • Retirement Plans • Private Pensions J26: Retirement • Retirement Policies
Type
Article
Information
Journal of Pension Economics & Finance , Volume 20 , Special Issue 3: Retirement Decisions in a Changing Labor Market , July 2021 , pp. 374 - 392
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abbott, A (1990) A primer on sequence methods. Organization Science 1(4), 375–392.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aisenbrey, S and Fasang, AE (2010) New life for old ideas: the ‘Second Wave’ of sequence analysis bring the ‘Course’ back into the life course. Sociological Methods & Research 38(3), 420–462.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barbieri, P and Scherer, S (2009) Labour market flexibilization and its consequences in Italy. European Sociological Review 25(5), 677–692.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cahill, KE, Giandrea, MD and Quinn, JF (2011) How does occupational status impact bridge job prevalence? Working Paper 447. Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.Google Scholar
Calvo, E, Madero-Cabib, I and Staudinger, UM (2017) Retirement sequences of older Americans: moderately de-standardized and highly stratified across gender, class, and race. The Gerontologist 58(6), 116–1176.Google Scholar
Collins, B, Garin, A, Jackson, E, Koustas, D and Payne, M (2019) Is gig work replacing traditional employment? Evidence from two decades of tax returns. Statistics of Income, Working Paper. Washington, DC: Internal Revenue Service.Google Scholar
Cornwell, B (2015) Social Sequence Analysis Methods and Applications. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Farrell, D and Greig, F (2016) The Online Platform Economy: Has Growth Peaked? New York, NY: JP Morgan Chase & Co. Institute.Google Scholar
Fournier, G, Zimmermann, H and Gautheir, C (2011) Instable career paths among workers 45 and over: insight gained from long-term career trajectories. Journal of Aging Studies 25(3), 316–327.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fuller, S and Stecy-Hildebrandt, N (2015) Career pathways for temporary workers: exploring heterogeneous mobility dynamics with sequence analysis. Social Science Research 50, 76–99.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gustman, AL and Steinmeier, TL (2000) Retirement outcomes in the Health and Retirement Study. Social Security Bulletin 63(4), 57–71.Google ScholarPubMed
Halpin, B (2013) Imputing sequence data: extensions to initial and terminal gaps, stat's mi. University of Limerick Department of Sociology Working Paper 2013-01.Google Scholar
Halpin, B (2014) SADI: sequence analysis tools for Stata. University of Limerick Department of Sociology Working Paper 2014-03.Google Scholar
Hollister, M (2009) Is optimal matching suboptimal? Sociological Methods & Research 38(2), 235–264.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
James, JB, Swanberg, JE and Mckechnie, SP (2007) Responsive workplaces for older workers: job quality, flexibility and employee engagement. Sloan Center on Aging and Work at Boston College Issue Brief 11, 1–11.Google Scholar
Johnson, RW and Kawachi, J (2007) Job changes at older ages: effects on wages, benefits and other job attributes. Center for Retirement Research at Boston College Working Paper 2007-4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Katz, LF and Krueger, AB (2016) The rise and nature of alternative work arrangements in the United States, 1995–2015. Princeton University Working Paper.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Katz, LF and Krueger, AB (2019) Understanding trends in alternative work arrangements in the United States. National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper 25425.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MacIndoe, H and Abbott, A (2011) Sequence analysis and optimal matching techniques for social science data. In Hardy, M and Bryman, A (eds), Handbook of Data Analysis. London, UK: Sage Publications Ltd, pp. 387–406.Google Scholar
Quinn, J and Burkhauser, R (1990) Work and retirement. In Binstock, R and George, L (eds), Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences, 3rd Edn. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, pp. 307–327.Google Scholar
Ruhm, CJ (1990) Bridge jobs and partial retirement. Journal of Labor Economics 8(4), 482–501.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2018) Contingent and Alternative Work Arrangements. Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.Google Scholar
U.S. Government Accountability Office (2015) Contingent Workforce. GAO-15-168R. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Accountability Office.Google Scholar