Retiring Unprepared in Abu Dhabi? Predicting Emirati Employees’ Retirement Age and Self-Activation

ABSTRACT

The topic of retirement is rarely explored in the context of the Middle Eastern and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. This study drew on data from a large-scale survey of retirees in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a universal welfare state characterized by the persistence of the traditional male-breadwinner model and gender roles, to analyze the determinants of retirement timing and post-retirement work. Multi-level regressions were performed to explore the effects of individual, family, institutional, and social-economic factors. The study revealed that Emirati females tended to retire earlier than men to fulfill their domestic duties and informal caregiving roles, rather than to retire together with their spouse. Additionally, early retirement incentives offered by Abu Dhabi pension systems appeared to attract employees into early retirement. On the other hand, securing more financial resources and reduced sense of belonging in society were among the most significant predictors of post-retirement job searching motivations among Emirati retirees.

KEYWORDS:

• Abu Dhabi
• Emirati retirees
• early retirement
• post-retirement work
• pension reform
• self-activation

Key points

• Retirement timing of Emiratis living in Abu Dhabi was framed by financial considerations, family circumstances, individual factors, social norms, and demographic contexts of the emirate;

• Early retirement incentives offered within the emirate affected Emiratis’ retirement timing, which had implications for the engendered labor market;

• Securing more financial resources and feeling detached from society were significant predictors of Emiratis’ motivation toward post-retirement job searching.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported that there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.