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Open research questions in Retirement, Disability, and Employment

475 gap statements mined from Retirement, Disability, and Employment papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 4,558 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

Choosing where to publish on Retirement, Disability, and Employment? See the ranked Social Science journals.

What the literature leaves open

  • Balancing the need to prioritise mortgage redemption with the potential long-term financial consequences.

    Extending working lives and the subjective financial wellbeing of mid-later life workers · 2026 · DOI

  • Health-related economic inactivity is a growing concern in the United Kingdom but little is known about how the relationship between health and work participation has changed across cohorts.

    Chronic health conditions and health-related economic inactivity in midlife: Evidence from the 1958 and 1970 British birth cohorts · 2026 · DOI

  • However, the mechanisms linking pre-retirement work attachment and retirement adjustment to post-retirement mental health remain poorly understood.

    The "Dark Side” of Pre-Retirement Work Attachment for Later-Life Mental Health: Mediating Role of Retirement Adjustment and Moderating Role of Social Network · 2026 · DOI

  • Working in later life has been linked to health and well-being, yet how work frequency relates to these outcomes remains uncertain.

    Work frequency and subsequent health and well-being among older adults in Japan: An outcome-wide study · 2026 · DOI

  • Interpretation requires caution: health shapes who keeps working, and work quality was unmeasured; both warrant further study.

    Work frequency and subsequent health and well-being among older adults in Japan: An outcome-wide study · 2026 · DOI

  • While the impact of occupational trajectories on mental health disparities is well-established, the couple-based perspective of linked occupational trajectories remains underexplored.

    Couple’s linked occupation trajectory and women’s depressive symptoms in later life: a multichannel sequence analysis from China · 2026 · DOI

  • Previous studies have identified educational differences in early labour market exits, yet the mechanisms behind these disparities remain unclear.

    The contribution of common mental disorders and alcohol-related morbidity to educational differences in early labour market exit among older workers: a register-based cohort study · 2025 · DOI

  • Even though its prevalence and allure, review studies on workplace ageism (WA) are also scarce, and thus a review is warranted.

    Age is just a number, but with number comes prejudice: exploring workplace ageism and charting directions · 2024 · DOI

  • Despite receiving increased attention, it remains under-researched regarding how it might be reduced in the workplace.

    Age is just a number, but with number comes prejudice: exploring workplace ageism and charting directions · 2024 · DOI

  • The analysis of the findings contributes to advancing understanding of the relationship between organizations and older workers, an area that remains underexplored in Brazil and worldwide.

    Suddenly 50: the aging workforce and its relationship with the company · 2024 · DOI

  • Although current literature emphasizes that it may depend on the availability and fluctuation of specific resources, little is known about which types and how resources allow recent retirees to adjust to retirement.

    Happily retired! A consensual qualitative research to elaborate theory on resources' categorization, processes and caravans for successful retirement adjustment · 2024 · DOI

  • It is not fully known what explains educational inequalities in early labour market exits.

    Mediating effect of working conditions on the association between education and early labour market exit: a cohort study of Swedish men · 2024 · DOI

  • The long-term co-developmental patterns of work productivity and multidimensional health remain insufficiently understood. The associations between childhood socioeconomic status and trajectory membership are not well understood.

    Life-course Trajectories of Work Productivity and Multidimensional Health: A Longitudinal Study of Childhood Socioeconomic Conditions in Aging Adults · 2026 · DOI

  • Limited number of case managers restricts the effective implementation of the intended support model. The study only examines the situation of older jobseekers in Lithuania. The study relies on self-reported data from interviews.

    The Impact of the ‘Preparing for the Labour Market’ Status on the Employment Prospects of Older Jobseekers of the Lithuanian Employment Service · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of understanding of the PPLM status among older jobseekers. The limited availability of tailored services to address the specific needs of older jobseekers.

    The Impact of the ‘Preparing for the Labour Market’ Status on the Employment Prospects of Older Jobseekers of the Lithuanian Employment Service · 2026 · DOI

  • Demographic aging will reduce the size of the labor force and increase the economically dependent share of the population. Labor force participation disparities across gender and racial or ethnic groups need to be addressed.

    The power of inclusive labor force participation for mitigating population aging: Closing gaps at the intersection between race/ethnicity and gender in the United States · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should continue to monitor pension adequacy and sustainability in Slovenia. Future research should also explore the implications of demographic ageing and fiscal constraints for pension systems. Future research should consider the potential impact of policy interventions on pension adequacy and sustainability.

    Retiree Dynamics in Slovenia and the Adequacy of Minimum Pensions in Relation to GDP · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a need to examine the quality of life of SSNIT pensioners in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The study aims to address the gap in the literature on the quality of life of pensioners.

    Post-retirement Quality of Life: Insights from SSNIT Pensioners in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of research on the intersectional nature of ageism in the workplace. Prior studies have tended to focus on the biological aspects of ageing or on quantifying instances of ageism.

    "I’m not a quiet woman": an intersectional analysis of gender, class, and ageism in the Canadian workplace · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research is needed to see whether the pandemic and the post-pandemic economy have changed the options, insecurities and mindsets of older adults, rendering churn more likely. Second, our use of labour force states at Time 1 captures only one point in time; we have no data on respondents’ prior work histories to understand later life employment dynamics in broader life course context.

    Churn in later adulthood? A gendered life course approach using short-term panel data from the US Current Population Survey · 2026 · DOI

  • It would be beneficial to pursue further research into the following areas: The middle-aged and elderly workers in the labor market and the majority of business organizations are largely unacquainted with the gradual retirement system that has been promoted by the government.

    The Effect of Core Self-Evaluation on the Process of Gradual Retirement Among Middle-Aged and Older Workers · 2026 · DOI

  • The study notes that prior research has focused on the life-cycle income hypothesis and the redistributive function of pension systems, but has not comprehensively analyzed pension adequacy and sustainability in Slovenia.

    Retiree Dynamics in Slovenia and the Adequacy of Minimum Pensions in Relation to GDP · 2026 · DOI

  • The study's sample size was limited to 10 older adults. The perspectives of racialised older workers were limited in the study. The study did not explicitly aim to centre racialised experiences.

    "I’m not a quiet woman": an intersectional analysis of gender, class, and ageism in the Canadian workplace · 2026 · DOI

  • The study identifies a gap in the literature by not considering demographic factors in labor force participation. The study highlights the importance of reducing labor force participation disparities across gender and racial or ethnic groups.

    The power of inclusive labor force participation for mitigating population aging: Closing gaps at the intersection between race/ethnicity and gender in the United States · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a need to address Germany's low growth potential and stretched fiscal position - There is a lack of research on the potential of activating unused labour…

    Entfesselung des Arbeitskräftepotenzials für Wachstum und entlastete Staatsfinanzen · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Retirement, Disability, and Employment

Most recent work

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) Health-related economic inactivity is a growing concern in the United Kingdom but little is known about how the relationship between health and work participation has changed across cohorts (“Chronic health conditions and health-related economic inactivity in midlife:…”, 2026); (2) The mechanisms linking pre-retirement work attachment and retirement adjustment to post-retirement mental health remain poorly understood (“The "Dark Side” of Pre-Retirement Work Attachment for Later-Life Mental Health:…”, 2026); (3) While the impact of occupational trajectories on mental health disparities is well-established, the couple-based perspective of linked occupational trajectories remains underexplored (“Couple’s linked occupation trajectory and women’s depressive symptoms in later…”, 2026); (4) The long-term co-developmental patterns of work productivity and multidimensional health remain insufficiently understood (“Life-course Trajectories of Work Productivity and Multidimensional Health: A…”, 2026); (5) The lack of understanding of the PPLM status among older jobseekers (“The Impact of the ‘Preparing for the Labour Market’ Status on the Employment…”, 2026). 475 gap statements have been mined from Retirement, Disability, and Employment papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 4,558 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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