The individual and work-related factors associated with the occupational future time perspective: a cross-sectional study of older workers in Japan

Objectives Occupational future time perspective (OFTP) is important concept for a successful career in older workers. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between individual and work-related factors and OFTP.Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study via an online questionnaire survey. Respondents were stratified sampled according to the distribution of workers across Japan. To assess OFTP, we used the Japanese version of the OFTP scale. We included factors such as sex, age, education, marital status, subjective health status, personal income, length of employment, industry, size of company, employment status, working days per week, and night shift. Multiple regression analysis was employed to calculate the regression coefficients for each factor, with OFTP serving as the dependent variable.Results In total we included 1484 respondents. Our findings indicated that higher OFTP was associated with higher education, better subjective health status, higher personal income, and smaller size of company. Compared with manufacturing, certain industries such as agriculture and forestry, transportation and postal services, and health care showed lower OFTP. In contrast to permanent workers, contract and part-time workers demonstrated lower OFTP, whereas owners of non-family businesses exhibited higher OFTP. Furthermore, individuals working 1-4 d/wk showed lower OFTP compared with those working 5 d/wk.Conclusions Older workers facing limitations in resources, such as educational background, personal income, precarious employment, and health status, tend to have lower OFTP. Such individuals should be given priority for support and assistance.