The Paper in a Figure

Abstract

We study the role of occupations for individual and aggregate retirement behavior. First, we document large differences in individual retirement ages across occupations in U.S. data. We then show that retirement behavior among European workers is strongly correlated with U.S. occupational retirement ages, indicating an inherent association between occupations and retirement that is present across institutional settings. Finally, we find that occupational composition is an important predictor of aggregate retirement behavior across 45 countries. Our findings suggest that events affecting occupational structure, such as skill-biased technological change or international trade, can have consequences for aggregate retirement behavior and social security systems.

Coverage

Columns in VOX                                                                      web (19.11.11) web (30.06.23) 

The Globe and Mail                                                               web          pdf

Discussion in Economic Logic blog                              web          pdf