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Do retirement anxieties determine bridge employment preference? A study among pre-retirees in the Australian construction industry
Mariappanadar, Sugumar
Mariappanadar, Sugumar
Author
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which perceived financial preparedness, social retirement anxieties, and level of income influence mature aged workers' preferences to enter different retirement employment options within the contingent and the flexible work arrangements (FWA) types of bridge employment.
Design/methodology/approach: Data for this study was collected in 2008 using a questionnaire with 31 items. A total of 144 mature aged workers from multiple firms, aged 50 years and over, working full‐time, in the construction industry participated in the study. The collected data was analysed using correlation and regression analyses.
Findings: The results indicate that the study variables have positive and negative influences on pre‐retirees' preference for the retirement employment options within the contingent and the FWA bridge employment. It was also found that while income failed to moderate, social retirement anxieties did significantly moderate the relationship between perceived financial preparedness and the different employment options within the contingent bridge employment.
Practical implications: This study clearly provides practitioners and career counsellors a new insight that the work and non‐work predictors for the retirement employment options within each of the contingent and the FWA bridge employments vary between factors of perceived financial preparedness, social retirement anxieties and level of income.
Originality/value: In contradiction to the existing literature that “comfortable” social retirement adjustment as a determinant for bridge employment, this study's findings revealed that if pre‐retirees perceive that they are not adequately financially prepared for retirement, they would opt for bridge employment irrespective of levels of social retirement anxieties.
Keywords
bridge employment, phased retirement employment, contingent bridge employment, flexible work arrangements, construction industry, social retirement anxiety, flexible working, retirement, Australia
Date
2013
Type
Journal article
Journal
Personnel Review
Book
Volume
42
Issue
2
Page Range
176-204
Article Number
ACU Department
Peter Faber Business School
Faculty of Law and Business
Faculty of Law and Business
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Open Access Status
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Controlled