Luisa Errichiello(a)<\/em>, Orsola Salmista(b)<\/em><\/p>\n (a)<\/em> CNR-ISMed, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche \u2013 Istituto di Studi sul Mediterraneo, Via Cardinale Guglielmo Sanfelice, 8, 80134 Napoli, Italia corresponding author: orsolasalmista@gmail.com<\/p>\n Abstract<\/strong> Keywords<\/strong>: bridge employment, late-career transitions, qualitative meta-synthesis, individual experience, ageism.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n DOI:<\/strong> 10.23760\/2499-6661.2026.25_03<\/p>\n ISBN:<\/strong> 978-88-98193-40-0<\/p>\n ISSN (online):<\/strong> 2499-6661<\/p>\n <\/p>\n How to Cite<\/strong><\/p>\n Errichiello, L., Salmista, O. (2026). Oltre la pensione: la costruzione di senso del lavoro ponte. In D\u2019Ascenzio, A., Errichiello, L., Falavigna, G., & Lamonica, V. (cur.). Mercato del lavoro e relazioni sociali dopo i 50. Riflessioni e politiche per il benessere in una societ\u00e0 che invecchia (pp. 39-62). Quaderni IRCrES 25. CNR-IRCrES. http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.23760\/2499-6661.2026.25_03<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n * Questo lavoro \u00e8 stato realizzato nell\u2019ambito del progetto finanziato da Next Generation EU \u2013 \u201cAge-It \u2013 Ageing well in an ageing society\u201d (PE0000015), CUP B83C22004880006 \u2013 Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza (PNRR) \u2013 PE8 \u2013 Missione 4, Componente 2, Investimento 1.3. Le opinioni espresse sono esclusivamente degli autori e non riflettono necessariamente quelle dell\u2019Unione Europea o della Commissione Europea. N\u00e9 l\u2019Unione Europea n\u00e9 la Commissione Europea possono essere ritenute responsabili dei contenuti qui riportati.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"parent":10287,"menu_order":0,"template":"","categoria-pubblicazioni":[39],"class_list":["post-10304","pubblicazione","type-pubblicazione","status-publish","hentry","categoria-pubblicazioni-quaderni"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ircres.cnr.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pubblicazione\/10304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ircres.cnr.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pubblicazione"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ircres.cnr.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/pubblicazione"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ircres.cnr.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pubblicazione\/10304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10305,"href":"https:\/\/www.ircres.cnr.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pubblicazione\/10304\/revisions\/10305"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ircres.cnr.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pubblicazione\/10287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ircres.cnr.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"categoria-pubblicazioni","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ircres.cnr.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categoria-pubblicazioni?post=10304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n(b)<\/em> Ricercatore indipendente, Salerno, Italia<\/p>\n
\nThis chapter reports preliminary findings from an ongoing qualitative meta-synthesis on bridge employment, paid work undertaken after exit from one\u2019s main career job and before full retirement. Despite decades of research, the field remains fragmented across definitions, typologies, and explanatory frames with limited integrative, interpretive synthesis of lived experiences. We address this gap by meta-synthesizing qualitative studies to illuminate how older workers interpret and manage the retirement transition, giving meaning to the continuation of work activity. Following a meta-ethnographic, inductive approach, we analyzed 16 studies spanning healthcare, academia, manufacturing, services, and public administration in predominantly Western contexts.We conducted open coding, reciprocal translation across studies, and back-to-data checks; because the synthesis is in progress, we present early first-order codes rather than second-order meta-concepts. Three preliminary thematic axes stand out: bridge employment operates as an identity mechanism that preserves and reconfigures the professional self, authenticity and hybrid identity; intergenerational mentoring as generativity; digitalization and techno-ageism. This chapter contributes (i) theoretically, by advancing an interpretive, multi-level reading of meaning-making in late-career transitions; and (ii) practically, by translating emergent themes into HRM design cues and multi-level age-inclusive countermeasures including job design, stigma-free upskilling, structured mentoring, and governance of phased pathways.<\/p>\n———————–<\/del><\/p>\n