Retirement, health and employment among those 55 plus
StatsCan report examines four different retirement situations: never retired, partially retired, fully retired, previously retired but returned to work.
| Category | Retirement |
| Details | Retirement, health and employment among those 55 plus This study examines four distinct states of retirement among Canadians age 55 and older: fully retired; partially retired; previously retired but returned to work; and never retired. Almost 60% of the fully retired belonged to the two lowest income groups compared to less than 30% of those who had never retired. Retirees also reported poorer health than other groups even after controlling for age differences. The partially retired were the most likely to report that they retired because they were financially able to do so. Accordingly, two-thirds of the partially retired worked less than 30 hours per week compared to 11% of the never-retired and 22% of returnees. Those who had returned to work were the most likely to be in the top income bracket, corresponding to their high average level of education. Nevertheless, one-half reported that financial considerations contributed to their decision to return to work. Almost 40% of never-retired workers reported that their financial plans for retirement were less than adequate. A larger proportion of this group still had a mortgage on their homes compared to the fully and partially retired. Immigrants and visible minorities were over-represented in the never-retired group. Most prevalent chronic conditions For men age 55 to 84, the most prevalent chronic condition was high blood pressure (33% for the employed and 46% for the retired) (Table 7). For employed women, arthritis was the most prevalent (34%) chronic condition. Other common conditions reported by older workers include back problems, diabetes, heart disease, thyroid conditions, osteoporosis, migraines, cataracts and asthma. The five most prevalent chronic conditions for the retired include high blood pressure, arthritis, back problems, heart disease and cataracts. |
| Author | Jungwee Park, Statistics Canada |
| Publication Date | January 2011 |
| Source | Perspectives on Labour and Income (75-001-XWE) Spring 2011, vol. 23 no. 1 The Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) – Healthy Aging is one of the focused-content cycles of the CCHS. The survey was designed to collect new information on the factors, influences and processes that contribute to healthy aging through a multidisciplinary approach including health, social and economic determinants. The survey focuses on the health of Canadians age 45 and over by examining the factors that affect healthy aging, such as general health and well-being, physical activity, use of health care services, social participation, as well as work and retirement transitions. The CCHS – Healthy Aging targets persons age 45 years and over living in private dwellings in the ten provinces and was conducted between December 2008 and November 2009. |
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