An empirical study of the retirement and bridge employment intentions of older workers

2014 IJRSM – Volume 3 Issue 2

Author/s:

Lo, Lawrence W. T.*
Department of Marketing and Management, Hang Seng Management College, Hong Kong (lawrencelo@hsmc.edu.hk)

Chan, Heidi M. L.
Hong Kong (hchan.ac@gmail.com)

Abstract:

This study examined the predictability of job-related, personal and family related, meaning in life and demographics factors of the retirement intentions in terms of full retirement, career and non-career bridge employment intentions of the older workers in Hong Kong. Survey interview on workers aged 50-64 (N=280) was conducted. The data were analyzed through separate stepwise multiple regression models on the three retirement intentions. Interaction effects of the predictors were also inspected. Job satisfaction and negative attitude towards retirement were positively related to career and non-career bridge employment. Except for the married and aged 55-59 respondents, perceived wealth positively predicted full retirement and negatively related to career bridge employment. Contrary to prior research, perceived health had no predictive effect, and professionals reflected negative career and non-career bridge employment intentions. Further, the newly explored meaning in life factor was not a predictor. Finally, demographics exerted interaction effects on retirement intentions. In sum, Hong Kong workers showed bridge employment intentions, so designing policies to establish satisfactory working conditions and a welcoming culture to the older workers can facilitate their retention in the workforce. This study exhibited originality in disclosing the full retirement and bridge employment intentions in the context of Hong Kong. It generated values for future studies, especially in the eastern societal context. Moreover, this study combined several factor groups and newly explored the influential effect of meaning in life on retirement intentions.

Keywords: career bridge employment; non-career bridge employment; full retirement; meaning in life; Hong Kong

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrsm.2014.863

*Corresponding Author