Employment in physically demanding jobs or in jobs with difficult working conditions is a major
cause of early labor-market exit among older workers. Raising the retirement age is particularly
concerning for near-retirement age workers with such jobs. Despite the fact that the retirement age increase is supposed to encourage workers to work longer, many workers would be physically unable to extend work lives in their jobs, and they would most likely be left with no choice but to receive reduced benefits.

This US study examines the occupations of older workers in physically demanding jobs or jobs with difficult work conditions to better assess the impact of raising the retirement age on these workers. The paper is available at the following link: Hard Work? Patterns in Physically Demanding Labor Among Older Workers