Comparing Health and Employment in England and the United States

This chapter explores how health influences employment past age 65 in the United States and England. This is of policy interest, because England followed the United States by extending age-discrimination legislation above 65 in 2011. Drawing conclusions about the health-related capacity of this age group to work is, however, a challenge. Common health measures are often problematic for use with older workers, particularly when they are used to make comparisons between countries. Nevertheless, the most appropriate health measures are identified from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing and the US Health and Retirement Study. The survey analysis presented shows that, in both countries, health limitations had the strongest negative impact on employment for the poorest over-65s. This suggests that the financial benefits of working are likely to be limited for the over-65s most in need of additional income.