Even the briefest exploration of books written for pre- and post-retirees finds an exhortation to continue working even after reaching retirement age. The benefits are noteworthy: feelings of productivity and achievement, obtaining social support from colleagues, intellectual stimulation, and maybe even physical exercise. These books inform us that reduced hours, transitioning to a less stressful job, becoming an entrepreneur, or even beginning a second (or third) career are viable options. A 2014 study of retirement practices in the United States and Europe echoes these conclusions; older voluntary workers reported more well-being than those who were retired (Nikolova and Graham, 2014). However, there was a noteworthy exception; these findings did not hold true for those who were involuntarily employed, a growing population around the world. There is now even a name for this status is the psychology literature: involuntary delayed retirement (IDR).

Financial insecurities restrict many older employees’ ability to leave the labor market even when facing serious health issues or adverse working conditions. One early study (Benjamin, Pransky & Savageau, 2008) found that older workers unable to leave their jobs faced increased risk of work-related injuries and exacerbation of chronic illness. Taylor (2019) also cautioned that continued labor market involvement by older people comes with health risks. More recently, an Economic Policy Institute study (2023) found that significant shares of older workers ages 50–70 experience difficult working conditions. These include environmental hazards (54.2%), difficult schedules (53.7%), high-pressure jobs (46.1%), limited autonomy (45.9%), and adverse........

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