Task-Based Labor Supply Intentions in Later Life: Evidence from Older Adults in Japan

While extending labor market participation at older ages is a key policy issue globally, existing literature primarily focuses on workers around the statutory retirement age. In rapidly aging Japan, a non-negligible share of individuals aged 65 and older express a willingness to work, yet little is known about the specific work arrangements or tasks they prefer. This paper examines labor supply among individuals aged 65 and older from the perspective of short-term, task-based work, including gig work. Using descriptive evidence from a large-scale government time-use survey and econometric analyses based on an original 2025 survey, we distinguish between general willingness to work, realized employment, interest in short-term work, and specific task preferences. The results reveal substantial heterogeneity in later-life labor supply. Employment intentions are not consistently explained by objective financial resources alone. Moreover, occupational and task experiences accumulated between ages 40 and 55 are systematically related to interest in short-term work and task preferences in later life, although such backgrounds do not necessarily translate into actual employment. Taken together, these findings suggest that later-life labor supply is structured by both task-specific skills and occupational identities shaped over the life course.