Occupational safety and health in Europe - state and trends 2023 
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work – EU-OSHA 96 
4.3.4 Working life perspective – health 
This EWCS 2015 question on the working life perspective (‘Will you be able to do this or a similar job 
at 60 years of age?’) gives quite a good hint to the individual long-term prospects, which might even be 
more valuable than the question on currently affected health because it is a personal assessment of the 
overall status of health. 
Differences between countries are significant but not as significant as between other categories, 
for example, between sectors and occupations. The EU average of ‘No’ responses to the question 
‘Do you think you will be able to do your current job or a similar one until you are 60 years old?’ is at 
27%; the eight countries with the highest rates of ‘No’ responses (between 44% and 33%) are France, 
Slovenia, Poland, Slovakia, Croatia, Belgium, Malta and Bulgaria. Under 25% of ‘No’ responses were 
given in eight countries, starting from Portugal (16%) over Germany, Denmark,  Ireland, Sweden, Italy, 
Estonia and Lithuania (24%).263 
 
Figure 35: Opinion on work until the age of 60 – EWCS 2015  
 
Young workers under 35 are much more sceptic  than those over 50; 38% say that they will not be 
able, a much higher percentage than the 22% of workers aged over 50. The employment status is also 
very important; 26% of the permanently employed respond with a ‘No’ compared to 39% of those with 
‘Other arrangements’. Remarkably, only 19% of the self -employed do not believe that they will be  able 
to do their job at 60 years.  
Large differences can be seen between occupation levels.  37% per cent of the low -skilled manual 
workers respond with ‘No’, and 30% of the highly  skilled manual workers respond ‘No’, as do 27% of 
the low -skilled clerical workers and only 21% of the high- skilled clerical workers, a 16% difference 
between high-skilled clerical workers and low -skilled manual workers. In some countries only 10% to 
15% of the highly skilled clerical workers respond with ‘No’ while in a number of countries more than 
50% of the low -skilled manual workers respond with ‘No’, for example, in Slovenia, Croatia, Slovakia 
and Czechia. 
The authors of the Senior Working Life study describe these differences as follows:264 
‘For ISCO groups 1– 4 (seated work) main expected reasons for retiring were freedom to choose and 
desire for more leisure time, but many would consider staying longer if there were better possibilities for 
additional senior days, longer vacations and flexible working hours. For ISCO groups 5 –9 (physical 
work), poor physical health and not being capable of doing the job were common expected reasons for 
retiring, but many would consider staying longer if the work were less physically demanding and there 
were more senior days. Possibility for pension was a general expected reason for retiring. Expected 
reasons differed to a less extent between genders than between ISCO groups, e.g. economic factors 
were more important for men and high work demands more important for women.