How retirees work: predictors of different types of bridge employment

Abstract

Employment after retirement, known as bridge employment, is expected to occur more frequently because the baby boom generation will increase the number of retirees. Little is known about which employees will obtain which type of bridge employment when they retire, even though it has important implications. The present study examined work‐related attitudes, job characteristics, and work‐related accomplishments of 171 retirees in order to predict whether they would fully retire or take one of two types of bridge jobs after retirement: Career‐consistent bridge jobs or bridge jobs in fields different from their original career. Continuity theory of retirement helped predict post‐retirement employment type. Retirees who had skills specifically related to their career job were more likely to work in a career‐related bridge job than either to fully retire or to take a bridge job that was not related to their careers; retirees who formerly held career jobs with intrinsically motivating job characteristics were more likely to take a career‐related bridge job than to retire fully, and retirees who had experienced work strain in their career job were more likely to take a bridge job not related to their former career than to take a career bridge job. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.