Working Life Expectancy of Physicians and Nurses in Czechia: Disparities, Trends and Implications for Healthcare Workforce Planning

Tereza Patáková , Charles University
Ludek Šídlo, Charles University

In ageing societies, maintaining sufficient healthcare workforce (HWF) capacity represents a critical policy challenge. This study examines differences in working life expectancy (WLE) and exit patterns between physicians and nurses in Czechia, with attention to the roles of outpatient and inpatient providers. Using individual anonymized data from the General Health Insurance Company of the Czech Republic (2014–2022), we constructed multistate life tables capturing transitions between care settings and definitive exits from the workforce. Transition probabilities were smoothed by weighted moving average the Gompertz-Makeham function, and WLE was estimated from age 50. Results show that nurses’ exit probability rises steeply around statutory retirement (age 56 for women, 59 for men), whereas physicians exit more gradually, often remaining in practice beyond retirement. At age 50, WLE reached 22.0 years for female physicians, 23.7 for males, 13.4 for female nurses, and 12.2 for male nurses. For both professions, differences between inpatient and outpatient care narrowed over time, partly reflecting pandemic-related dynamics. The findings highlight major disparities in professional longevity and underline the need for evidence-based workforce planning. Effective strategies should include profession-specific measures – such as enhanced group practice models for physicians and expanded competencies and improved working conditions for nurses – to mitigate premature exits. Integrating such differences into workforce projections will be essential for sustaining healthcare capacity in ageing health systems.

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 Presented in Session P7. Education, Labor Market, and Economic Issues