Utilizing detailed data from Jordan Labor Market Panel Survey (JLMPS), this study
examines early retirement patterns among Jordanian men. It explores the demographic and
economic characteristics of the early retirees and their tendency to return to the labor market
after retirement. The study finds that nearly 85% of the living retirees had retired early. It also
shows that around 45% of male early retirees return to the labor market and occupy jobs
characterized to some degree by informality (e. g. no health insurance, no social security,
comparatively lower wages, no paid leaves). However, they are concentrated in limited
number of occupations, notably sale workers, drivers and protective services workers.
Economically active early pension receivers, however, appear to suffer from high
unemployment rates, amounting to 20%, particularly those retiring from the private sector.
The main findings of the study also show that both more education and bigger family size
tend to increase the propensity of early retirees’ returning to the labor market. The study
sheds some light on the retirement decision at the individual level.