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Strategies for improved work longevity from an employer- and employee perspective

Research project One of the most topical concerns of ageing societies is how to facilitate the realization of a sustainable, long and healthy working life. But little is still known about how to tailor work to better meet the needs of more than already privileged groups of employees, as is knowledge concerning the complex and life-long processes through which individual work life trajectories are formed.

By assembling a multi-disciplinary team of researchers, we propose a research agenda that enables explorations of the complex interactions between welfare state provisions, labour market push factors, organizational work adjustments and employees’ motivation and health.

Head of project

Mikael Stattin Professor
E-mail
Email
Phone
+46 90 786 57 14

Project overview

Project period:

2021-11-01 – 2027-10-31

Research area

Sociology

Project description

By utilizing survey-, register and life course data, as well as interview and observational data the research program is organised around three key research questions.

  1. How do life course experiences (employment trajectories and exposure to various work conditions) affect possibilities for improved work longevity?
  2. To what extent do Swedish employers utilize measures to facilitate, stimulate and motivate employees to work longevity?
  3. With a special focus on physically and cognitively demanding jobs, how can individual and workplace-oriented adjustments, strategies and interventions enhance work longevity?

By setting up a collaborative network consisting of researchers and stakeholders outside of academia (e.g., representatives from public and private organisations, unions and NGOs), the program will establish a forum for dialogue, learning and solutions to real-time problems. The network is a key to craft synergies within the program, grasp the complexity of prolonged working lives and ensure direct contributions to practice. By doing so, our research will contribute with new insights of how we can facilitate a more sustainable and long working life.

Work Packages

The program consists of 5 different but closely related work packages in which various aspects of work longevity are studied. The WPs will be launched in varying phases of the program and results will be continuously evaluated by the team members. An added value with the program is that planned activities, such as new data collections, may be designed, adjusted and improved in a collaborative manner and by experiences and results made in already running projects.

WP 1

Employees’ and employers’ age-management practices for a prolonged working life

WP 2

Workplace-dialogue for a sustainable working life

WP 3

Adaptation of occupations with high physical workload and factors promoting a sustainable working life

WP 4

Job crafting interventions on person-job fit, work motivation and health in older employees

WP 5

The importance of working conditions, employment continuity and skills development for a longer working life

Research papers and reports

2025

Brydsten, A., & Stattin, M. (2025). Redefining retirement: a sequence analysis of how older adults extend working life in Sweden. Ageing & Society. Epub ahead of print.

Jonsson, R., Larsson, D., Holm, J., & Stattin, M. (2025). Åldersbaserade personalpolicyspå den svenskaarbetsmarknaden:Vad görs – och varför inte? Arbetsmarknad & Arbetsliv, 31(4), 7–29.

Wahlström, V., Abtahi, F., Forsman, M., Yang, L., Öhrner, P., Tornevi, A., Stjernbrandt, A., Lewis, C., & Järvholm, L. S. (2025). Cardiovascular load and physical capacity in older workers engaged in physically demanding occupations. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 98(7), 673–683.

Öhlin, J., Stjernbrandt, A., Andersson, M., Järvholm, B., Lewis, C., Slunga Järvholm, L., Wahlström, V., Wester, P. & Liv, P. (2025) Occupational physical activity and stroke mortality in male Swedish construction workers between 1971 and 2015. Occupational Medicine, 75(7), 412–417.

2024

Jonsson, R., Hasselgren, C., Dellve, L., & Naseer, M. (2024). Arbete och pensionering : Uppfattningar bland medarbetare i Göteborgs stad 2024.

Hasselgren Bune, C., & Jonsson, R. (2024). The role of idiosyncratic deals in shaping retirement preferences of older workers: A psychological needs perspective. The Career Development Quarterly, 1–18.

Håkansson, H., Hasselgren, C., & Dellve, L. (2024). Collective Versus Individual Influence at Work Procedural Autonomy, Individual Arrangements, and Intention to Leave Work in the Eldercare Sector. Scandinavian Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 9(1): 1, 1–15. DOI:

2023

Öhlin, J., Liv, P., Andersson, M., Järvholm, B., Slunga-Järvholm, L., Stjernbrandt, A., & Wahlström, V. (2023). Occupational physical activity and resting blood pressure in male construction workers. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 96(9), 1283–1289.

Brydsten, A., Hasselgren, C., Stattin, M., & Larsson, D. (2023). The road to retirement : A life course perspective on labor market trajectories and retirement behaviors. Work, Aging and Retirement. Epub ahead of print.

Student theses

2024

Adan Afrax, S., & Sjöholm, F. (2024). Mot ett förlängt arbetsliv : -En tvärvetenskaplig analys av svenska arbetsgivares organisatoriska strategier som syftar till att skapa bättre förutsättningar för medarbetare att förlänga arbetslivet. Retrieved from

  

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Latest update: 2024-05-21