Transition to Retirement from 2010 to 2022. On Average, Women Still Have Significantly Longer Career Breaks than Men

Christine Mayrhuber

05.11.2025

Transition to Retirement from 2010 to 2022

On Average, Women Still Have Significantly Longer Career Breaks than Men

Women who did not retire directly from active employment in 2022 had an average of 8.4 years of career breaks, compared to 5.6 years for men. "In 2022, 28 percent of women were unable to retire directly from active employment, which is problematic given the gradual increase in the retirement age for women", said WIFO Deputy Director Christine Mayrhuber, who examined the transition to retirement in Austria between 2010 and 2022 in a recent study commissioned by the Vienna Chamber of Labour.

The proportion of men who were able to retire directly from employment remained stable between 2010 and 2022: in 2010, the proportion was 72 percent, and in 2022 it was 73 percent. Among women, the proportion of those entering retirement directly from employment rose from 67 percent in 2010 to 72 percent in 2022. The increase is mainly due to the fact that women are taking fewer and shorter breaks from working life. Nevertheless, women still have significantly longer gaps in employment than men on average due to childcare or caring for elderly, sick or disabled family members.

The study by Marian Fink, Thomas Horvath and Christine Mayrhuber analyses the transition paths according to gender, economic sectors, and company characteristics. It also analyses employment gaps between the last job and retirement in terms of duration and insurance status during the gap. Finally, it investigates employment immediately prior to retirement or the employment gap and the effects of sick pay on the probability of early exit from employment. The study is based on regularly processed, adjusted and maintained insurance data from WIFO.