Even the briefest exploration of books written for pre- and post-retirees finds an exhortation to continue working even after reaching retirement age. The benefits are noteworthy: feelings of productivity and achievement, obtaining social support from colleagues, intellectual stimulation, and maybe even physical exercise. These books inform us that reduced hours, transitioning to a less stressful job, becoming an entrepreneur, or even beginning a second (or third) career are viable options. A 2014 study of retirement practices in the United States and Europe echoes these conclusions; older voluntary workers reported more well-being than those who were retired (Nikolova and Graham, 2014). However, there was a noteworthy exception; these findings did not hold true for those who were involuntarily employed, a growing population around the world. There is now even a name for this status is the psychology literature: involuntary delayed retirement (IDR).
Financial insecurities restrict many older employees’ ability to leave the labor market even when facing serious health issues or adverse working conditions. One early study (Benjamin, Pransky & Savageau, 2008) found that older workers unable to leave their jobs faced increased risk of work-related injuries and exacerbation of chronic illness. Taylor (2019) also cautioned that continued labor market involvement by older people comes with health risks. More recently, an Economic Policy Institute study (2023) found that significant shares of older workers ages 50–70 experience difficult working conditions. These include environmental hazards (54.2%), difficult schedules (53.7%), high-pressure jobs (46.1%), limited autonomy (45.9%), and adverse social interactions (14.1%). Strikingly, 50.3% of older workers engage in at least one physical activity that can lead to injury. These include carrying or moving heavy loads, lifting or moving people, or working in tiring or painful positions at least a quarter of the time.
Augmenting the above findings is a recent spate of research articles examining the mental health consequences of IDR. Raihan, Chowdhury, Chowdhury, & Turin (2024) found it associated with anxiety, depression, and anger. Amilon, Larsen & Siren (2025) concluded that feeling trapped in one’s job as an older adult exacerbates pre-existing mental health problems and is particularly detrimental to those already in poor health. Guan, Wang, Ma, & Luo (2025) determined that IDR can lead to negative emotions, fatigue, and a sense of powerlessness. These same researchers found that many older employees complain IDR interferes with preferred activities, particularly spending time with grandchildren.
I am sure that many readers of this blog post are anticipating (maybe dreading?) IDR as part of their older adult years, or are already involuntarily employed after reaching retirement age. What are some suggestions? Recommendations target three domains.
First, societal-level change must occur. We are learning to modify retirement expectations in real time. According to Macnicol (2015), “The key issue that has emerged in recent years and remains unresolved is: how we can reconcile, on the one hand, the right to retirement for those who wish to retire and need to retire when aged in their sixties (notably, manual workers, those in repetitive, boring or stressful jobs, those with poor health, those with caring responsibilities […] with, on the other hand, the right to work later in life for those who wish to do so and need to do so…” (p. 210). Similarly, Phillipson (2019) stresses, “[R]etirement has been undermined in the 21st century through anxieties about ageing populations combined with financial insecurities (p. 245). It is time, he recommends, to be “re-thinking the idea of the ‘older worker'” at a societal level. In general, policymakers should consider methods of helping older adults maintain positive mental and physical health if they are required to work past retirement age.
Second, we must support change at an organizational/employer level. Both AARP and the American Society on Aging acknowledge that many older adults are financially insecure and will need to continue working past their official retirement age; these two organizations are leading the call for age-friendly workplaces. The Age Friendly Institute even offers a certification program identifying organizations committed to being the best places to work for employees aged 50 and over. The availability of a positive work culture, supportive supervisors and coworkers, flexible work schedules, and accommodations preparedness goes a long way towards reducing the stressors impacting older workers. As quoted in the aforementioned Guan et al. (2025) article, “Delayed retirement should not merely be about extending years of employment, but rather about promoting older adults’ professional value and subjective wellbeing” (p. 9).
Finally, at the individual level those facing IDR can: (1) engage in preventative care to reduce incidence or severity of health problems; (2) talk to workplace supervisors about modifications and accommodations; (3) develop a realistic financial plan by collaborating with retirement and financial planning specialists; (4) make use of existing support systems, including seeking out professional guidance if mental health repercussions of IDR are occurring (or exacerbating existing issues); and (5) know one’s legal rights as an older worker.
In conclusion, many individuals reaching retirement age voluntarily remain employed, and this tends to support their general well-being. However, a large number of older adults will be unable to leave jobs that are physically taxing and risky to their health, and this is increasingly recognized as being potentially detrimental to well-being, particularly at the physical and psychological levels.