Study on working hours in old age: over 40s are most effective when they work 25 hours

Working hours and workloads by age group are currently a big topic again. Not only Switzerland, but also other countries are planning to raise the retirement age. The reason is the demographic development: There are more and more older people, at least in industrialized nations. A study by the University of Melbourne has now found out that this can be problematic under certain circumstances. For employees aged 40 and over, effectiveness drops from as little as 25 working hours per week.

The study, conducted by the Faculty of Business & Economics at the University of Melbourne, measured the cognitive abilities of 3,500 female and 3,000 male workers over the age of 40 (the Study however, goes back to 2016). According to the study, work stimulated the brain activities of employees most effectively when they worked 25 hours per week. At this working time, the positive effects on the cognitive abilities of the over 40-year-olds were the greatest.

When working more than 30 hours per week, the positive effects of the work decreased. A standard working time of 40 hours per week was said to be suitable for maintaining normal cognitive abilities, but this was no longer effective. At working hours of 55 or more hours per week, the mental performance of employees even dropped rapidly, below the level of retirees or the unemployed. One could also say: From 40 onwards, too much work is detrimental to mental health.

Cognitive skills

According to the researchers, two mechanisms are at work here. On the one hand, work can stimulate cognitive abilities, but on the other, work also causes fatigue and stress. According to the study, it now appears that the older a worker is, the less stress-resistant they become. Meaning: In order to take full advantage of the positive effects of work and be as effective as possible, a lower workweek would make sense for older workers. For men over 40, even a workweek of more than 30 hours can have negative effects on mental health - at least according to the tests from the 2016 study.

The study did not explore the reasons for the correlation between cognitive abilities and weekly working hours among older workers. For example, it would still have to be clarified whether and how part-time jobs have an impact, how mentally or physically demanding a job is, or how much vacation or days off someone can take in between. It has also not yet been researched whether there are country-specific differences. (Source: Meedia)

A further link to the "Working Papers" (study page) of the University of Melbourne can be found at here