Japan's silver human resource centers and participant well-being.
Japan's Silver Human Resource Center (SHRC) program provides part-time, paid employment to retirement-aged men and women. We studied 393 new program participants and examined whether part-time work influenced their well-being or "ikigai." The participants were divided into those who had worked in SHRC-provided jobs in the preceding year, and those who had not. Gender-stratified regression models were fitted to determine whether SHRC employment was associated with increased well-being. For men, actively working at a SHRC job was associated with greater well-being, compared to inactive members. And men with SHRC jobs and previous volunteering experience had the greatest increase in well-being. Women SHRC job holders did not experience increased well-being at the year's end. The study concludes that there is justification for exploring the usefulness of a similar program for American retirees who desire post-retirement part-time work.
Weiss
Robert S
RS
University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA.
Bass
Scott A
SA
Heimovitz
Harley K
HK
Oka
Masato
M
D000368:Aged; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012179:Retirement; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014838:Volunteers