Determinants of early retirement in Denmark. An empirical investigation using SHARE data

This study aimed at determining the factors of early retirement in Denmark by making use of longitudinal panel data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). The outcome variable of interest was the self-assessed employment situation at the time of the interview. The binary outcome retired/not retired was regressed on covariate data from the preceding wave, thereby modeling potential factors contributing to a later decision to retire. There were 651 eligible observations, of which 160 (24.6%) participants took early retirement. The strongest factors encouraging early retirement were unemployment, inadequate support in difficult work situations, the use of drugs the week before the interview (for high cholesterol, high blood pressure and other medical conditions), and the existence of grandchildren, whereas greater reluctance to retire early was found in participants who had a chronic illness or disability, a feeling of sadness or depression during the month before the interview, at least one natural parent still alive, higher expectations of the government raising the retirement age, and better grip strength.