The purpose of this literature review is to examine the existing literature covering the impact of voluntary early retirement schemes (VERS) on knowledge retention within Australian universities. The primary research questions that this literature review builds on are the following:

• How do the recent voluntary retirement schemes that have emerged within the Australian higher education industry impact knowledge retention within universities?
• How do the voluntary retirement schemes in turn impact the performance of the retained academics?
• How do knowledge-sharing systems support academics following voluntary retirement schemes?
• What aspects of organizational culture support academics following voluntary retirement schemes?