Determinants of individuals' retirement decisions and retirement timing

The purpose of this study is to determine the factors that influence the retirement decisions of individuals in Turkey and to reveal how and in what direction these factors affect the timing of retirement (on time or late). In this context, the study analyzed the main determinants behind the retirement decisions and the timing of retirement taken by individuals retired within the scope of 4/1-a (SSK), 4/1-b (Bağ-Kur) and 4/1-c (Emekli Sandığı) of the Social Insurance and General Health Insurance Law No. 5510 and examined the differences between the statuses. Quantitative research method was adopted as the research method and a relational survey model based on the relationships between variables was selected. Within the scope of the research, firstly, with the help of the Turkish Statistical Institute 2023 Household Budget Survey (HHBA) micro dataset, the general profiles of retirees in Turkey were revealed and then the data collected from 792 retired individuals were analyzed with the binary logistic regression method. As a result of the findings of the field research, in the model where all retirement statuses are included in the determinants of retirement decisions, the analysis reveals that gender, retirement status, working time, education, marital status, health, economic status, ownership status of the house of residence, spouse's working status and working conditions are the main determinants and affect the timing of retirement in different ways.