Trajectories of late-life job insecurity and labor force participation: Associations with cognitive function and impairment in the Health and Retirement Study's harmonized cognitive assessment protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Continued workforce participation may preserve later-life cognition, yet many Americans face job insecurity and instability in later life, with potential consequences for cognitive aging.

METHODS: Using Health and Retirement Study (HRS) Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol data (n = 2418), we applied gender-stratified sequence analyses to identify clusters of combined employment and job insecurity trajectories (1998 to 2014). We estimated associations with domain-specific cognitive scores and impairment status in 2016 using weighted, multivariable-adjusted regression.

RESULTS: Six clusters were identified separately for women and men. Among women, self-employed, early retirement, not in labor force, and secure-to-retirement trajectories were significantly associated with lower memory and executive function scores (β range = -0.13 to -0.32 standard deviation units) compared to secure employment. Among men, inconsistent employment was associated with poorer performance across most cognitive domains compared to secure employment. Employment instability and early retirement were associated with higher odds of cognitive impairment among women.

DISCUSSION: These results underscore employment security as a potential protective factor for cognitive aging.