The retirement age and the hiring of senior workers

This paper examines the effect of decreasing the distance to the minimum legal retirement age on the hiring of senior workers. Using variation brought about by a comprehensive old-age public pension reform in Norway in 2011, I identify a positive effect on the hiring of senior workers. The results suggest that the increase was mainly caused by a positive shift in the demand for “risky” senior workers (workers with prior sick-leave and blue-collar workers). This lends support to the notion that risk-averse firms are more willing to hire senior workers when the minimum legal retirement age is decreased.