Retirement and the transition to self-employment in Brazilian Metropolitan areas

Abstract This paper examines the transition from wage labor, formal or informal, to self-employment in metropolitan Brazil, in particular, the role of retirement in this process. It is important to understand the transitions that occur at the end of the working career, particularly the choice of self-employment, which has potential impacts on individual well-being. The data used are from the Monthly Employment Survey (PME), between the years 2002 to 2007. Using the pseudopainel methodology two main evidence was found. First, the greater the importance of retirement income relative to the income of wage labor, the lower the chance of transition. This result may indicate that older workers who depend on retirement for their survival have high aversion to risk involved in self-employment. In addition, informal workers are more likely to transition to self-employment than formal workers.

摘要：本研究以巴西大都市地区为研究场景，探讨从正规或非正规雇佣劳动向自雇就业的职业转型问题，重点考察退休养老金在该转型过程中的作用。明晰职业生涯末期发生的职业转型——尤其是自雇就业的选择——至关重要，此类选择对个体福祉存在潜在影响。本研究使用的数据来源于2002年至2007年的月度就业调查（Monthly Employment Survey, PME）。通过伪面板分析法（pseudopainel methodology），本研究得到两项核心实证结果：其一，退休养老金收入相较于雇佣劳动收入的占比越高，劳动者向自雇就业转型的概率越低。该结果或表明，以退休养老金为主要生活来源的老年劳动者，对自雇就业所蕴含的风险具有较高的风险规避倾向。此外，非正规就业者相较于正规就业者，更有可能向自雇就业转型。