Healthy Working Life Expectancy: Measurements and Socioeconomic Inequalities

Population aging in high-income countries challenges the sustainability of social security and pension systems, prompting policies to extend working life. This has implications for social and health outcomes. Healthy working life expectancy is a key metric for understanding the interplay between health and labor force participation in later life. However, definitions of health and work may influence findings. For example, the magnitude of socio-economic inequalities may vary by these definitions, requiring deeper investigation. Using U.S. Health and Retirement Study data and multistate lifetable approach to model individual life courses, we estimate healthy working life expectancy at age 50. We compare estimates based on multiple definitions of health (e.g., physical limitations, self-rated health, and chronic conditions) and employment (e.g., self-reported employment status and labor income), and explore trends (2000–2009 vs. 2010–2020) and disparities by gender and education. Findings show how different definitions yield varying estimates and how disparities differ by measurement approach. By examining how definitions of health and work influence findings, we provide guidance for researchers who plan to analyse healthy working life expectancy and can choose between different measurements. Moreover, our findings can help to conduct meaningful comparisons of findings from the literature based on different measurements.