Change in Elderly Employment, Social Relationship, and Health Conditions in Europe and South Korea since the Outbreak of COVID-19

Abstract

In this article, I conducted a comparative analysis of the post-Covid-19 pandemic experiences among older adults in Korea and Europe, focusing on employment, social relationships, and mental health status. The adverse effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the employment status of older adults were more pronounced in southern European countries than in Nordic European countries and Korea. In the wake of the pandemic, older adults in Korea exhibited a tendency to limit their social interactions, albeit to a lesser extent than their counterparts in European countries. Older adults in Korea reported experiencing more frequent feelings of loneliness, resulting in a lower self-rated mental health level.