It is important to identify factors during adulthood that can help maintain cognitive function as we grow old. Research has shown that certain occupational characteristics, like cognitive complexity, are positively associated with certain cognitive functions. The research results regarding the relationship between cognitive occupational complexity and cognition have been mixed. The aim of the present study was to examine whether cognitive occupational complexity affects cognitive abilities. More specifically, is there a relationship between cognitive occupational complexity and change in executive functions over time? The sample was drawn from a longitudinal project called “Successful aging - a study of how bilingualism and choice of occupation contribute to preserve attention and memory across the adult lifespan”. The study had a longitudinal design with two test waves of data collection at approximately three years intervals. A multiple (hierarchical) regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between cognitive occupational complexity and executive functions (inhibition, switching and updating). Measures used to examine cognitive work complexity and executive functions were; the Occupational Information Network (O*NET), the Flanker task (inhibition), the Global-Local (switching), The Matrix task (updating). Only participants between the ages of 65-75 years old and whose main lifetime occupation could be linked to the O*NET codings were included (N = 101). The results do not show a relationship between cognitive occupational complexity and change in executive functions, indicating that main lifetime occupation does not have an effect on change in executive functions in later life.