Health or harm? A cohort study of the importance of job quality in extended workforce participation by older adults

Table 2 Baseline characteristics of the sample by retirement groups

	Continued working		Voluntarily Retired		Involuntarily Retired		Total
	N = 556 (66.5 %)		N =192 (30.0 %)		N = 88 (10.5 %)		N = 836 (100 %)
	N	Row %	N	Row %	N	Row %	N	Col %
Age (mean)	53.2		55.3		55.1
Gender
Men	310	70.5	84	19.1	46	10.5	440	56.3
Women	246	62.1	108	27.3	42	10.6	396	43.7
Health condition
No	477	66.7	169	23.6	69	9.7	715	85.7
Yes	79	65.3	23	19.0	19	15.7	121	14.3
Household income (mean AUD/quintile)
Poorest: $15,096	96	60.0	37	23.1	27	16.9	160	17.2
2: $31,015	107	64.9	40	24.2	18	10.9	165	19.4
3: $46,203	122	73.1	33	19.8	12	7.2	167	21.6
4: $64,084	120	70.2	38	22.2	13	7.6	171	21.6
Richest: $111,051	111	64.2	44	25.4	18	10.4	173	20.2
Education level
High school or below	232	62.5	90	24.3	49	13.2	371	41.9
Certificate or diploma	174	70.2	50	20.2	24	9.7	248	30.9
Bachelor or higher	150	69.1	52	24.0	15	6.9	217	27.2
Marital Status
Married/de facto	434	65.9	159	24.1	66	10.0	659	78.0
Single	122	68.9	33	18.6	22	12.4	177	22.0
Employment status
Full-time (≥35 h)	419	69.7	124	20.6	58	9.7	601	75.5
Part-time (<35 h)	137	58.3	68	28.9	30	12.8	235	24.5
Occupation
White collar	253	66.1	95	24.8	35	9.1	383	45.6
Blue collar	134	68.7	36	18.5	25	12.8	195	24.0
Pink collar	169	65.5	61	23.6	28	10.9	258	30.5
Contract status
Ongoing/ fixed term	331	65.5	121	24.0	53	10.5	505	86.4
Casual	52	56.5	23	25.0	17	18.5	92	13.6
Adult care giving
No	459	68.1	152	22.6	63	9.4	674	88.2
Yes	62	56.4	29	26.4	19	17.3	110	11.8
Grand child care
No	464	67.1	157	22.7	71	10.3	692	89.2
Yes	56	61.5	24	26.4	11	12.1	91	10.9
Smoking status
Never a smoker	296	67.9	102	23.4	38	8.7	436	53.8
Past smoker	180	65.7	61	22.3	33	12.0	274	32.4
Smoker	76	64.4	25	21.2	17	14.4	118	13.9
Alcohol consumption
Abstainer	60	65.2	20	21.7	12	13.0	92	10.9
Light	277	69.4	77	19.3	45	11.3	399	49.6
Drinkers	218	63.4	95	27.6	31	9.0	344	39.5

ISSN: 1471-2458