Table 1 Pre- and post-exit characteristics of workers who at exit age were younger than the statutory retirement age

N

150

176

196

522

General characteristics

Statutory retirement age (M, sd)

65.0

65.0

65.9 (0.5)

65.4 (0.6)

Exit in first 3-year interval (%)

67.3

64.8

74.0

69.0

Sex (% women)

40.7

42.6

54.6

46.6

Level of education (%)

- Low

46.0

39.2

23.0

35.1

< 0.001

- Middle

32.7

34.7

43.9

37.5

- High

21.3

26.1

33.2

27.4

Pre-exit work characteristics

Number or working hours/week (M, sd)^a

32.2 (17.2)

27.5 (14.3)

27.9 (13.2)

29.0 (14.9)

Physical demands, range 0–4 (M, sd)

2.2 (1.5)

1.8 (1.6)

1.5 (1.6)

1.8 (1.6)

Psychosocial demands, range 0–6 (M, sd)

1.1 (1.9)

1.5 (1.9)

1.8 (2.1)

1.5 (2.0)

Psychosocial resources, range 0–4 (M, sd)

1.1 (1.3)

1.2 (1.3)

1.6 (1.4)

1.4 (1.4)

Residual physical demands (M, sd)

0.15 (1.09)

-0.06 (1.22)

-0.06 (1.19)

0.00 (1.17)

Residual psychosocial demands (M, sd)

-0.06 (1.43)

0.09 (1.30)

-0.04 (1.43)

0.00 (1.39)

Residual psychosocial resources (M, sd)

0.03 (0.89)

-0.09 (0.94)

0.06 (0.94)

0.00 (0.93)

Pre-exit health

Self-rated health (M, sd)

2.0 (0.7)

2.2 (0.8)

2.2 (0.9)

2.1 (0.8)

Physical limitations (% >  = 2)^b

3.4

10.2

10.2

8.3

Exit characteristics

Work exit age, continuous (M, sd)

60.7 (2.3)

61.3 (2.2)

62.9 (2.4)

61.7 (2.5)

Work exit age, categorical (%)

- <  = 58 years

22.7

13.6

9.2

14.6

< 0.001

- 59–63 years

64.7

72.7

49.0

61.5

- >  = 64 years

12.7

13.6

41.8

23.9

Exit route^c

- Completely retired

50.7

51.7

36.9

46.2

- Reached statutory retirement age

14.7

17.0

21.6

17.9

- Partly retired

4.7

1.1

4.0

3.2

- Unemployed

4.0

6.8

14.8

8.8

- Disability pension

10.7

13.6

5.7

10.0

- Inactive

15.3

9.7

17.0

13.9

Time after work exit in years (M, sd)

1.7 (0.8)

1.5 (0.9)

1.4 (0.9)

1.5 (0.9)

Post-exit health

Self-rated health (M, sd)

2.1 (0.7)

2.2 (0.8)

2.2 (0.9)

2.1 (0.8)

Physical limitations (% >  = 2)^d

9.4

11.4

19.1

13.7