How Different is the Older Labour Market? Attitudes to Work and Retirement among Older People in Britain

2006 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 485-494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen McNair

Governments are seeking strategies to extend working life, but with limited evidence on the attitudes to work, and motivation of workers over 50. This paper reports the findings of two national surveys which aimed to increase understanding of the attitudes to work of older people in the UK. They found that older people generally view work very positively, but that the forces which divide the labour market as a whole have an increasingly polarising effect as people grow older. The paper suggests that successful implementation of ‘extending working life’ policies will depend on a better understanding of the quality of work, of the diversity of older workers, and of the role of training.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jolanta Aidukaite ◽  
Inga Blaziene

PurposeThe article seeks to contribute to a better understanding of older people's situation in the labour market in three Baltic countries – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Three Nordic countries are taken as a reference point to compare the countries in order to better understand the situation from a comparative point of view. The article asks the questions: Does a longer working life for older people contribute to their better economic situation? How satisfied are they with a longer working life and their working conditions? Do they experience any discrimination in the labour market because of their age?Design/methodology/approachIn order to understand the situation of older people in the labour market, the authors employ welfare state models and the Active Ageing Index. The welfare state models help us to understand the context in which the working life of older people is taking place. The Active Ageing Index helps to gain a better understanding of the employment domain of active ageing. The analysis is based on several Europe-wide data sources: statistics on earnings from Eurostat database, information on income, job prospects, occupational safety and health, training, working life perspectives from the European Working Conditions Survey as well as a special survey, conducted by the authors, of Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian residents aged 50 years and older.FindingsAnalysis conducted reveals that in the Baltic countries older employees, although actively participating in the labour market, face unfavourable material, physical and psychological situation in the labour market more frequently than their younger colleagues. The findings show that the most important factors influencing older employees' decision to stay longer in the labour market in the Baltic countries are linked mostly to welfare state-related issues, i.e. financial benefits, healthcare, possibility to reconcile work and family obligations. These welfare state-related issues are even more important for those who are going to stay longer in the labour market after reaching the retirement age.Originality/valueThis article contributes to a better understanding of older (50+) people's situation in the labour market. It suggests that, while the increasing employment of older people increases the Active Ageing Index and is generally viewed positively, in some countries with less developed welfare states high employment rates of older employees, although providing them with an additional means of livelihood, do not ensure a higher quality of life and, on the contrary, act as a factor reducing the quality of work and, at the same time, the quality of life.


Author(s):  
Ewa Wikström ◽  
Karin Allard ◽  
Rebecka Arman ◽  
Roy Liff ◽  
Daniel Seldén ◽  
...  

AbstractThroughout the industrialised world, societies are ageing. These demographic changes have created a political and societal focus on an extended working life. Unfortunately, there is a lack of systematic knowledge about how such changes can be successfully implemented within organisations. In this chapter, we discuss this lacuna and specifically focus on organisational capability. We highlight workplace conditions and practices that may inhibit or promote the retention of workers beyond the previous norm for retirement.The novelty of an organisational capability approach is that it highlights workplace conditions that enable older people to use their abilities to perform acts of value and to achieve a better quality of life and greater participation in society. Workplace resources, capabilities and functions form a dynamic pattern. Factors that influence the work abilities of older workers are related in complex interactions and not merely in the format of simple cause and effect.When looking at retirement from the perspective of older workers, we have focused on aspects such as the individual’s ability to control the retirement process. Central to Sen’s idea is that individuals have different conversion factors, which means that, even though two individuals may have access to the same resources, they do not necessarily have the capability to enjoy the same functions. For example, the probability that an older person will remain employed will partially depend on his or her health, human capital and type of job. But two seemingly similar individuals can nevertheless have very different chances of remaining employed because their employer has implemented very different age management policies, or simply because they have different attitudes towards older workers. Since organisational capability makes it possible to focus on the interaction between the individual’s resources and preferences and the opportunity structure existing at the workplace (meso level) and embodied in the retirement system (macro level), much of the discussion and many of the policies and practices concerning older people can be related to the concept of capabilities.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 550-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konrad Turek ◽  
Kène Henkens

This article analyses the role of age stereotypes in the employability of older people. Unlike in existing studies, we shift emphasis from a direct consideration of stereotypes, focusing instead on skill requirements during recruitment. Using five waves of an employer survey from Poland, we assess how the likelihood of recruiting people over 50 years old depends on the skill requirements of the post. This study uses a real-life framework by referring to existing vacancies and actual requirements that reflect labour demands at the scale of an entire national labour market. The results suggest that some requirements lead to age bias during recruitment, and the chances of an older candidate being hired are especially hindered in jobs requiring computer, physical, social, creative and training skills. By illustrating an indirect link between age stereotypes and age discrimination, this study contributes to an understanding of the mechanisms that reduce employability of older people.


2014 ◽  
pp. 7-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justyna Wiktorowicz

The ageing of societies has recently become one the most important phenomena shaping social policy in Poland and other developed countries. At the same time, it is becoming increasingly clear that ageing should not be perceived only in terms of threats. Silver economy, age management, and lifelong learning are the notions that become acknowledged by various labour market and social policy stakeholders. The rationale behind these ideas is to make the best use of the potential of people around the retirement, in line with the life cycle concept, but also of new social needs that arise with an increasing proportion of people aged 50+ in the society, and with considerably improving quality of their lives. The discussion presented in the article is limited to problems in extending working life of Poles. The aim of this paper is analysis of the factors influencing the extension of the working life in Poland, from an individual perspective, i.e. by looking at the reasons of individual decisions of people close to the retirement age. The article is both theoretical and empirical in nature, presenting a review of studies including the support for the economic activity of “older” workers, coupled with the outcomes of a statistical analysis carried out in the project „Equal opportunities in the labour market for people aged 50+”.


2008 ◽  
Vol 6 (S1) ◽  
pp. 21-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Gray

Water supply companies in the UK have a duty under prime UK legislation to notify the Drinking Water Inspectorate of events affecting or potentially affecting the quality of drinking-water supplies. Under the same legislation, the Inspectorate has a duty to investigate each event. After assessing all of the information available, including companies' reports, the Inspectorate advises on the way in which the event was handled and whether any statutory requirements were contravened. If appropriate, a prosecution of the water company may be initiated. Copies of the assessment are sent to the water company, relevant local and health authorities, Ofwat (the economic regulator), the regional Consumer Council for Water and any other interested parties, including consumers who request it. Generic guidance may be issued to the industry on matters of wider concern. This paper considers the role of the Inspectorate, the powers available to it and reporting arrangements. An overview is presented of events that occurred between 1990 and 2005 and common features are identified. Causes of different types of event are discussed. The importance of well-established contacts between the various interested parties involved in protecting public health is emphasised through discussion of example incidents.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nando Sigona ◽  
Jotaro Kato ◽  
Irina Kuznetsova

AbstractThe article examines the migration infrastructures and pathways through which migrants move into, through and out of irregular status in Japan and the UK and how these infrastructures uniquely shape their migrant experiences of irregularity at key stages of their migration projects.Our analysis brings together two bodies of migration scholarship, namely critical work on the social and legal production of illegality and the impact of legal violence on the lives of immigrants with precarious legal status, and on the role of migration infrastructures in shaping mobility pathways.Drawing upon in-depth qualitative interviews with irregular and precarious migrants in Japan and the UK collected over a ten-year period, this article develops a three-pronged analysis of the infrastructures of irregularity, focusing on infrastructures of entry, settlement and exit, casting a comparative light on the mechanisms that produce precarious and expendable migrant lives in relation to access to labour and labour conditions, access and quality of housing and law enforcement, and how migrants adapt, cope, resist or eventually are overpowered by them.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Chester Evans ◽  
Jennifer Bray ◽  
Claire Garabedian

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on an independent evaluation of a three-year “Creative Ageing” programme, focussing on the impacts for participants and factors promoting successful delivery of sessions. Design/methodology/approach Artists provided feedback through reflective journals and questionnaires, while the views of care staff and participants were also captured in a standard format at the end of each arts session. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data identified common themes. Findings Twenty-three arts projects were delivered across a range of settings and through diverse art forms including dance, drama, music, visual arts and poetry. They reached nearly 2,200 participants who recorded over 8,100 session attendances in total. Participation in high quality creative experiences improved well-being for older people, as well as increasing social interaction and reducing isolation. Several factors facilitated successful implementation and delivery of the activities, particularly the need to hold planning meetings with staff to provide guidance around participant numbers and suitability, minimising disruption of the sessions and the supportive role of staff during the sessions. Opportunities for reflection enabled artists to address potential challenges and adapt their practice to meet the needs and preferences of participants and to the complexities of diverse settings. Originality/value Previous research has largely focussed on the impact of activities in a single setting. This study supports the role of creative arts in increasing social interaction as an attempt to tackle isolation and loneliness, both for older people living in the community and for those living in a communal setting such as care homes and supported living schemes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 128-144
Author(s):  
Irfan Irfan ◽  
◽  
Eka Nurmala Sari ◽  
Muhyarsyah Muhyarsyah ◽  
Siti Irafah ◽  
...  

his study aims to (1) examine and analyze the influence of Human Resource (SDM) competence and the role of internal audit on the successful implementation of the Local Financial Information System (SKID) partially and simultaneously, (2) examine and analyze the competence of SDM and the role of internal audit on the quality of financial report partially and simultaneously,(3) examine and analyze the influence of SDM competence and the role of internal audit on the quality of financial reports on the successful implementation of the SKID. The object of this study is all provincials and district / city governments throughout North Sumatera. The sample of this study was 34 (thirty four). The data was collected by questionnaire, documentation, and interview methods. The analysis method used was path analysis using SPSS Program. The results of this study indicate that (1) SDM competence and the role of internal audit have no partial effect on the successful implementation of SKID (2) SDM competence, the role of internal audit doesn’t simultaneously affect the successful implementation of SKID (3) SDM competence and the role of internal audit have a significant effect partially to the quality of financial reports (4) the successful implementation of SKID has no effect on the quality of financial reports (5) SDM competence, the role of internal audit, the successful implementation of SKID simultaneously affects the quality of financial reports (6) SDM competence and the role of internal audit have no effect on quality financial reports through the successful implementation of the local financial information system.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-240
Author(s):  
Haula Rosdiana ◽  
Maria R.U.D. Tambunan ◽  
Inayati Hifni

Dalam mengoptimalkan penerimaan pajak, pemerintah selayaknya mendesain sistem perpajakan yang berpegang prinsip efisiensi dengan tetap memperhatikan aspek keadil-an dan kesederhana. Dalam sistem perpajakan, hukum formal mempunyai peranan penting dalam mengejawantahkan hukum material, karena itu Undang-undang Ketentu-an Umum dan Tata Cara Perpajakan (KUP) menjadi salah satu kunci keberhasilan implementasi kebijakan pajak. Mengingat strategisnya peran UU KUP, perlu untuk mereview kembali UU KUP yang saat ini berlaku serta perlu dilakukan suatu penyempurnaan. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan teknik pengumpulan data kualitatif yang terdiri dari studi literatur dan focus group discussion. Penelitian bertujuan memberikan masukan atas KUP yang saat ini masih dalam proses pembahasan dengan menekankan pada aspek kemudahan (ease of administration), keadilan (equity) dan kepastian hukum (law enforcement). Hasil penelitian ini menekan-kan pada hal-hal terkait (i) perlunya meningkatkan basis data perpajakan, (ii) perlunya menjalankan kemudahan administrasi yang berdasarkan ketentuan yang tegas, jelas, dan sederhana, (iii) penegakan hukum yang tegas, (iv) adanya sanksi yang sebanding dengan pelanggaran yang dilakukan oleh wajib pajak, dan (v) peningkatan kualitas layanan dan profesionalisme petugas pajak. Kajian ini diharapkan mampu mendorong terwujudnya regulasi perpajakan pro terhadap optimalisasi penerimaan tanpa mencede-rai hak-hak wajib pajak. Proposal for Amendment of Formal Law on Taxation Procedure  In optimizing tax revenue, the government should design a taxation system that adheres to the principle of efficiency, justice and simplicity. In the taxation system, formal law has an important role in manifesting laws, therefore laws and taxation procedures (KUP) are one of the keys to the successful implementation of tax policies. Considering the strategic role of the KUP Law, it is necessary to review the KUP Law which is currently in force and needs to be improved. This study uses a qualitative approach with qualitative data collection techniques consisting of literature studies and focus group discussions. The research aims to provide input on KUP which is currently still in the process of discussion by emphasizing aspects of ease (ease of administration), justice (equity) and legal certainty (law enforcement). The results emphasize issues related to (i) the need to increase the taxation database, (ii) the need to carry out administrative facilities based on firm, clear and simple provisions, (iii) strict law enforcement, (iv) comparable sanctions with violations committed by taxpayers and (v) improving the quality of service and professionalism of tax officials. This study is expected to be able to encourage the realization of tax regulations that are pro to the optimization of revenue without harming the rights of taxpayers.


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