How previous work experiences influence motivation for reemployment: a prospective cohort study

This study investigated how psychosocial working conditions and work engagement in a previous job influence motivation to work among unemployed older workers. We used a prospective cohort design with data from the Danish SeniorWorkingLife study to analyse prospective associations between job control, quantitative demands, social relations, management support, work-life balance, development opportunities, and work engagement in the previous job, and motivation to obtain employment when unemployed two years later. The sample comprised 693 participants who were 50–63 years and employed at baseline (2018 or 2020) and subsequently unemployed at follow-up (2020 or 2022, respectively). Results showed that work engagement at the previous job was positively associated with motivation to have a job when unemployed. None of the psychosocial working conditions showed statistically significant associations. However, trends indicated a negative association between psychosocial work conditions that are not ‘transferable’ to future jobs (e.g. social relations) and motivation to work when becoming unemployed, while there appears to be a positive association between ‘transferable’ psychosocial work conditions (e.g. job control) at the previous job and motivation to work when becoming unemployed.