Older workers and active ageing in France: the changing early retirement and company approach

2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 1221-1231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bénédicte Gendron
Keyword(s):  
Older Workers ◽  
Early Retirement ◽  
Active Ageing

scholarly journals Introduction: Policy Responses to Ageing and the Extension of Working Lives

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 607-610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Biggs ◽  
Dina Bowman ◽  
Helen Kimberley ◽  
Michael McGann
Keyword(s):  
Older Workers ◽  
Early Retirement ◽  
Policy Issue ◽  
Active Ageing ◽  
Economic Changes ◽  
Advanced Economies ◽  
Working Age ◽  
1960S And 1970S ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
The Life Course

Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, the relationship between work and ageing has become increasingly visible as a policy issue. It is both reflected in and influenced by changes in macro-economic policy, life-opportunities and social attitudes associated with growing older, as a combination of falling birth rates and increased longevity, and has put pressure on the traditional parameters of the working age. The idea of retiring at a fixed point in the life-course, to enjoy a period of rest or leisure at the end of a working life, emerged in many advanced economies during the 1900s and evolved into policies that encouraged early retirement as the baby-boomers entered the jobs market in the 1960s and 1970s (Phillipson and Smith, 2005). Early retirement, itself a relatively recent development, gave rise to the possibility of a ‘third age’ of leisure and active ageing (Laslett, 1987), but as demographic and economic changes make themselves felt, it is again becoming an uncertain prospect for many older workers (Biggs and McGann, 2015).

scholarly journals Effects of Companies’ Initiatives to Reduce Early Retirement Among Older Workers

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tove Midtsundstad ◽  
Åsmund Hermansen ◽  
Roy A. Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
Older Workers ◽  
Early Retirement ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Active Ageing ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Older Employees ◽  
Retirement Decisions ◽  
Employment Rates ◽  
The Individual

Although active ageing policy and practice vary between countries, we believe that knowledge about the effects of Norwegian companies’ initiatives to delay early retirement is of interest for all countries striving to increase the employment rates of older workers. Since the agreement on a more inclusive working life (IW agreement) was signed in 2001, the Norwegian government and social partners have encouraged companies to develop a more senior-friendly policy and implement special measures to retain older workers. In this article, we evaluate the effects of such measures. Our research question is, have preventive measures offered by companies to employees aged 62 years and older contributed to reduced rates of early retirement? We use a ‘difference-in-differences’ approach and examine whether measures at the company level to counteract early retirement actually affect older employees’ retirement decisions, controlling for different individual and enterprise factors. This is done by comparing changes and differences in the individual likelihood of early retirement on the contractual pension (AFP scheme) and disability pension in the period 2002–2007 among employees 62 years of age in businesses with and without the corresponding preventive measures/instruments. The analyses show that the likelihood that a 62-year-old worker will retire on the AFP scheme has increased from 2002 to 2007. This applies equally to 62-year-old employees in enterprises that have enacted special measures to retain older workers as well as 62-year-olds in enterprises that have not enacted any such measures. On the other hand, the likelihood that a 62-year-old worker will retire because of disability decreased from 2002 to 2007, among employees in both the intervention enterprises and the control enterprises. However, when controlling for other relevant characteristics of individuals and enterprises, the analysis indicates that the measures as such have had no effect on the likelihood of 62-year-olds retiring.

Skills and Training for the Older Population

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Loretto ◽  
Chris Phillipson ◽  
Sarah Vickerstaff
Keyword(s):  
Older Workers ◽  
Training And Development ◽  
Active Ageing ◽  
Training And Education ◽  
Training Development ◽  
Work Training ◽  
Employment Rates ◽  
The Uk ◽  
To Receive ◽  
And Training

Despite rises in employment rates across many countries, older workers (those aged 50+) are less likely than younger employees to receive workplace training and skills development. Using the UK as its starting focus, this chapter analyses the theoretical and empirical reasons for these gaps. The analysis covers in-work training and development, as well as considering the position of those older people who are unemployed but looking for work. The discussion also embraces the roles of training and education for older workers who may want to delay retirement or retire flexibly, and examines the relationships between training, development and active ageing. Concluding discussions highlight national and international policy initiatives to encourage investment in educating and training for this new work generation.

scholarly journals Employees’ Longer Working Lives in Europe: Drivers and Barriers in Companies

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 1658
Author(s):  
Andrea Principi ◽  
Jürgen Bauknecht ◽  
Mirko Di Rosa ◽  
Marco Socci
Keyword(s):  
Working Conditions ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Early Retirement ◽  
Working Life ◽  
Retirement Age ◽  
European Level ◽  
The Public ◽  
Working Lives ◽  
Market Factors ◽  
Legal Retirement Age

This paper identifies, within companies’ sectors of activity, predictors of Human Resource (HR) policies to extend working life (EWL) in light of increasing policy efforts at the European level to extend working life. Three types of EWL practices are investigated: the prevention of early retirement (i.e., encouraging employees to continue working until the legal retirement age); delay of retirement (i.e., encouraging employees to continue working beyond the legal retirement age); and, recruitment of employees who are already retired (i.e., unretirement). A sample of 4624 European organizations that was stratified by size and sector is analyzed in six countries. The main drivers for companies’ EWL practices are the implementation of measures for older workers to improve their performance, their working conditions, and to reduce costs. In industry, the qualities and skills of older workers could be more valued than in other sectors, while the adoption of EWL practices might be less affected by external economic and labor market factors in the public sector. Dutch and Italian employers may be less prone than others to extend working lives. These results underline the importance of raising employers’ awareness and increase their actions to extend employees’ working lives by adopting age management initiatives, especially in SMEs, and in the services and public sectors.

scholarly journals Origins and Mechanisms of Social Influences in Couples: The Case of Retirement Decisions

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 790-806 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Eismann ◽  
Kène Henkens ◽  
Matthijs Kalmijn
Keyword(s):  
Older Workers ◽  
Instrumental Variable ◽  
Early Retirement ◽  
Variable Approach ◽  
Partner Influence ◽  
Course Work ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
Retirement Decisions ◽  
Instrumental Variable Approach ◽  
Large Representative

Abstract The interdependence between partners raises considerable interest in the sociology of life course, work, and families. Partner influences play a particularly important role in the work domain, because each partner’s work decisions have profound effects on the couple as a whole. In contrast to previous research, this article pays detailed attention to the role a partner plays in workers’ labour market decisions by analysing the case of early retirement decisions. We hypothesized that partners’ preferences for older workers’ retirement originate from altruism and self-interest. Moreover, we expected that partners influence older workers’ early retirement behaviour via persuasion and pressure. To adequately estimate partners’ and workers’ preferences for the worker’s retirement, we used an instrumental variable approach. This was possible because we collected multi-actor longitudinal data from a large representative sample of older workers and their partners in the Netherlands. The results support that spousal preferences originate in altruism and self-interest and that partners influence workers through persuasion and pressure. Gender differences in origins and mechanisms of partner influence are also discussed.

Aging and Organizational Communication

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert M. McCann
Keyword(s):  
Older Workers ◽  
Early Retirement ◽  
Behavioral Outcomes ◽  
Intergenerational Communication ◽  
Intergroup Dynamics ◽  
The Core ◽  
Age Diversity ◽  
Younger Workers ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Relational Contexts

In the last 20 years or so, the field of intergenerational communication as seen from an intergroup perspective has evolved to encompass a wide range of social, cultural, and relational contexts. Research into communication and age in organizations represents one particularly exciting and rapidly changing area of investigation within the intergenerational communication domain. The workplace, by its very nature, is rich with intergroup dynamics, with age in/out group distinctions being but one of many intergroup characterizations. Stereotypical age expectations—by management and coworkers alike—can serve as powerful harbingers to behavioral outcomes such as ageist communication, considerations of (early) retirement and reduced and/or lost training among older workers, and even reduced intentions among young individuals to take up careers involving older people. Ageist behaviors (including communication) are also at the core of many types of discriminatory practices toward older (and sometimes younger) workers. Age diversity strategies, which include intergenerational contact programs, cross-generational mentoring, age diverse teams, and the use of positive symbols of older age, are becoming more common in organizations.

scholarly journals From Work Ability Research to Implementation

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (16) ◽  
pp. 2882 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilmarinen
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Work Ability ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Work Disability ◽  
Early Retirement ◽  
Intervention Studies ◽  
Work Force ◽  
Work Arrangements ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Employment Rates

Work ability research started in Finland in the 1990s due to the challenges of work force aging. The employment rates of older workers (55+) were below 40% and early retirement and work disability rates were rather common in many European countries. The work ability concept and methods were developed and broad international research activities started in the 1990s. A comprehensive promotion model for work ability was created aiming to prevent work ability from declining during aging. However, to be able to impact the work ability is a complicated and difficult task, and requires effects on human resources, work arrangements, and management. Therefore, only a limited number of intervention studies have shown an improvement of work ability during aging. This article introduces some possibilities regarding how to make work ability interventions more successful.

scholarly journals Flexibility and security policies for elderly workers: a case study in Vietnam

2020 ◽  
Vol 157 ◽  
pp. 04036
Author(s):  
Thi Mai Huong Doan ◽  
Quynh An Ngo
Keyword(s):  
Older Workers ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Active Ageing ◽  
Main Question ◽  
Elderly Workers ◽  
Flexible Working Hours ◽  
Telecom Service ◽  
Work Security

National policies in Vietnam show policy shifts towards active ageing and to improving flexibility and security in the labour market. The main question relates to the practice and the introduction of these macro policies at the workplace level is how an employer can combine greater flexibility for the organisation as well as work security for older workers. This paper presents the findings of a survey of wage paid elderly workers and human resource officer in Vietnam (Hanoi, Thaibinh, Ninhbinh) (n=39 companies and 428 elderly workers). A flexibility combining security approach for senior workers is most visible in the Vietnam workplaces because of a broader range of facilities such as phased retirement, flexible working hours, education and training, and wage flexible. The survey shows different strategies addressing the issue of older workers. The transport and telecom service sector favour for flexibility in recruitment. The education and health sector are still focused on a ‘relief’ strategy (adapting workload, tasks and working hours), while the construction industry favour and employability policy. Most of the workplace policies for senior workers show passivity in all items favours flexibility of the organisation, only small rate favour employment security for the workers.

scholarly journals Pathways to early retirement: structure and agency in decision-making among British civil servants

2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 761-778 ◽  
Author(s):  
PAUL HIGGS ◽  
GILL MEIN ◽  
JANE FERRIE ◽  
MARTIN HYDE ◽  
JAMES NAZROO
Keyword(s):  
Older Workers ◽  
Early Retirement ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Civil Servants ◽  
Ideal Types ◽  
Structure And Agency ◽  
The United Kingdom

The context of this paper is the changing nature of later life in the United Kingdom. It examines some of the broader issues of early retirement. While there has been considerable debate about the restructuring of employment during the latter part of the 20th century which led to a shake-out of older workers from the labour force, less attention has been given to those who take voluntary early retirement. Given the importance of early retirement to the economy and to social policy, it is important to find out how individuals make retirement decisions. The paper examines the results of a semi-structured interview study of the decisions made by a purposively drawn sample of British civil servants who are participants in the Whitehall II study. The sample included participants who chose early retirement and those who did not. From the interview data, ideal types of possible routes into retirement have been constructed. Illustrating these ideal types, individual life histories are drawn upon to show how responses to the issues surrounding retirement feature in people's lives. It is argued that decisions about early retirement are not made in a vacuum, neither are they free from pressures or inducements. Some are to do with organisational restructuring, some are about financial offers, and some are influenced by the opportunities for leisure and self-fulfilment that early retirement offers. The paper concludes by arguing that early retirement needs to be studied as a process involving the interplay between structure and agency.

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