Health, cognition and work capacity beyond the age of 50: International evidence on the extensive and intensive margins of work

This article uses the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) to consider the soundness of recent reforms to raise the age of retirement. Findings indicate that physical health and cognitive performance deteriorate with age and have negative effects on the employment rate of the 50–54 age group. The impact of poor cognition is lower than that of ill health, and both have greater effects on employment than on hours. This being said, at most, health and cognitive decline explain 35 per cent of observed work reduction. This hints at a sizeable underused work capacity among elderly Europeans.