Why people work past retirement age: The continuity of routines, future imaginaries, and practical evaluation

In this article, we synthesise existing qualitative evidence published in English, aiming to comprehend why workers keep working past retirement age and to link human agency and social structures in the decision-making process behind such occupational choices. The study was prompted by the growing attention that later-life working has been garnering from policymakers and academics in the context of aging societies. Drawing upon agency and meaningful work theories, we disaggregate the iterational, projective, and practical-evaluative orientations of agency, and argue that practical evaluation leads to more reflexive and satisfying choices between working and retiring. Here, actors consider their contribution, self-development, and financial benefits achieved through work in light of their ageing and capacity to adjust work contexts to their needs. Beginning a process of practical evaluation is contingent upon work relations that facilitate meaningful work experiences. However, such meaningfulness, characterised by autonomy, recognition, and dignity, is unevenly distributed across populations, leaving some without access or experiencing it as fleeting. This study enriches understandings of the dynamics behind the decision to work beyond retirement age. Its insights have the potential to shape policies aimed at age-friendly workplaces that promote meaningful work. Overall, this can contribute to the well-being of older workers and society as a whole.