Abstract
Introduction: Previous research undertaken in the Northern Territory of Australia has identified interest among nurses in engaging in the active workforce post-retirement. Relatively little is known about which nurses are interested in such engagement, and the types of work arrangements that might be of interest. This study aims to provide an enhanced understanding of the retirement plans and post-retirement employment intentions of nurses and midwives living and working in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia.
Methods: An online survey was developed to examine retirement
intentions, and investigate the types and facilitators significant for
post-retirement engagement.
Results: The results indicated a strong interest among nurses
and midwives in engaging in post-retirement work, with 73.2% of respondents
(n=207) having considered continuing in the active workforce. The most
preferred types of engagement included the gradual reduction of hours in
current workplaces, part-year or seasonal employment, short-term placements,
job-sharing or job-rotation, mentoring, research and policy development or
acting as ‘Northern Territory representatives’ promoting jobs to prospective
nurses and midwives elsewhere in Australia. A range of facilitators for
post-retirement engagement was found, including for nurses who had not
currently considered such engagement. The data collected from this research
also identified barriers to post-retirement employment. The most favoured
facilitators were financial incentives (90.0% of respondents identified it as a
facilitator for post-retirement engagement), followed by support from line
management (82.0%). Regardless of whether they had considered engaging
post-retirement, the largest proportion of respondents intended to leave the NT
for the time of their retirement (33.7%). The most prominent barrier to
post-retirement engagement was that only a smaller proportion intended to
retire in the NT (24.1%). Importantly, many nurses who had not currently
considered post-retirement engagement were interested in some of the
opportunities listed in the survey, and may therefore be tempted to consider
continued engagement in the future.
Conclusions: This study has provided an enhanced understanding of the
retirement intentions of nurses and midwives living and working in the NT, and
the significant types and facilitators of post-retirement engagement. The
barriers arising from the inability of workplaces to cater to the needs of
older workers potentially continuing their employment post-retirement are
consistent with previous research. The types and facilitators of engagement
presented in this study might assist in overcoming these barriers.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1-9 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Rural and Remote Health |
Volume | 14 |
Issue number | 3 |
Publication status | Published - 22 Sept 2014 |