
Poor health is the most common reason for early retirement in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR). Here we look at patterns in the BSR in terms of self-perceived health status of workers aged 55+, incidence of disability pensions and working despite a chronic illness. We look at how research links health and working conditions and how taking a gender perspective related to work and health is of crucial importance. We include country perspectives from Latvia, Sweden and Finland and emphasise the importance of age management and a life-course perspective for policy development in this area.