Working for longer could help maintain cognitive functioning and prevent the onset of physical disability among women in their early 60s, research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has revealed.

The government has announced that it will continue to increase the state pension age, from 66 to 67, starting in April next year.

IFS’s study, published in the Labour Economic Journal, found that increasing the age at which people could first claim their state pension led to some people delaying retirement and remaining in paid work for longer.

Subsequently, on average, women who remained in work for longer following increases in the state pension age saw improved cognition and less physical disability.

However, the research noted that the effects varied in important ways according to the type of work women undertook and what happened once they retired.

For example, the benefits of work for cognition were much stronger for single women than for those with a partner.

Meanwhile, jobs that involved some amount of movement were beneficial in preventing physical disability, yet working longer in sedentary jobs worsened physical disability.

IFS associate director and research author, David Sturrock, argued that while increasing the state pension age reduced state pension spending, thought needed to be given to the effect that later retirement could have on people’s health.

“Our research shows that paid work can help to maintain cognitive functioning and physical mobility. This is particularly true for single women and those whose jobs involve some amount of movement.

"However, not all work is beneficial, with sedentary jobs actively harming physical mobility," he continued.

‘Whether longer working is good for health also depends on what people will do once they retire – if the government wants to promote health at older ages, then encouraging social interaction and physical exercise among retirees would also be beneficial," concluded Sturrock.

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