The Association between Life Satisfaction and Employment Transition Trajectory in Korean Older Adults

Abstract

The current study examined the relationship between transition in employment status and psychological health outcomes, life satisfaction among older adults in Korea. This study utilized the 3 waves (2006, 2008, and 2010) of a Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging from the Korea Labor Institute including 4,170 older adults aged 60-105. For the purpose of the analysis of the research question, this study categorized employment transition groups through 3 waves into 5 categories: a continuous employment group, a continuous nonemployment group, a discrete employment group, an employment-to-nonemployment group, and a nonemplyment-to-employment group. The generalized estimation equation (GEE) modeling was utilized for examining the relationship between employment transition group membership and life satisfaction outcomes. The results showed that engaging in continuous employment status or in employment status later in 3 waves significantly associated with the higher life satisfaction with various controls compared to it of the nonemployment group. More research is needed to explore the mechanism behind older people"s trajectory in employment engagement.