scholarly journals Discrimination, labour markets and the labour market prospects of older workers: what can a legal case teach us?

2007 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 417-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sally A. Weller

As governments become increasingly concerned about the fiscal implications of the ageing population, labour market policies have sought to encourage mature workers to remain in the labour force. The `human capital' discourses motivating these policies rest on the assumption that older workers armed with motivation and vocational skills will be able to return to fulfilling work. This article uses the post-redundancy recruitment experiences of former Ansett Airlines flight attendants to develop a critique of these expectations. It suggests that policies to increase older workers' labour market participation will not succeed while persistent socially constructed age- and gender-typing shape labour demand. The conclusion argues for policies sensitive to the institutional structures that shape employer preferences, the competitive rationality of discriminatory practices, and the irresolvable tension between workers' human rights and employers' property rights.

2013 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Henriette Engelhardt ◽  
Christopher Schmidt

In this paper, we investigate the effects of demographic, economic and labour market structures on labour market participation and on the transition to inactivity (exit) for older males in eleven European countries. Theoretically, our analysis is guided by considerations of intragenerational competition and intergenerational substitution. Following Easterlin’s hypothesis that intragenerational competition rises with cohort size, we assume a negative effect of cohort size on labour market participation and a positive effect on early exit from the labour market. Taking into account that different cohorts are substitutes at least to a certain extent, we assume that the probability of an early exit will be reduced by a high intergenerational exchange ratio in favour of older workers. Thus, labour market participation is influenced by the populations’ age structure both when entering the labour force and during the career. Moreover, low shares of graduates in older cohorts are expected to reduce older workers’ chances of labour market participation. In addition to demographic structures, general economic conditions, such as per capita GDP and its development over time, act both to further and to hamper the employment of older workers. Additionally, labour market structures, such as unemployment rates, the extent of part-time work or the amount of service jobs influence individual participation and the transition to inactivity. To test these hypotheses, we use merged data from the first two waves of SHARE and macro-level indicators from Eurostat. We estimate a two-level random-intercept logit model which allows us to determine the share of variance in international late careers that can be attributed to country-specific factors and can quantify the relative impact of specific socio-demographic and socio-economic backgrounds. Our results imply that cross-national variance in labour market participation is mainly driven by the instance of long-term unemployment and the share of highly-educated older men. While our analyses reveal some evidence of intragenerational competition, we do not find evidence of intergenerational competition forcing early exit or decreasing participation.


2011 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Winkelmann‐Gleed

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a UK older worker's perspective on the influences of multiple work and non‐work related commitments on their decision to extend working lives or to retire. As demographic change and economic challenges related to the financing of health care and pension plans affect retirement policies, this paper seeks to explore the individual worker's perspective. Their choice is framed by seeking to balance financial security in later life with the positive elements of work and the desire to match work with other commitments, something hardly taken into consideration by employers.Design/methodology/approachThe paper combines findings from existing research studies and UK based, semi‐structured interviews conducted as part of two ESF (European Social Fund) funded projects aiming at extending labour market participation for older workers. Key areas, such as retirement planning, training, flexibility and health are explored and the organisational identities/commitment literature provides a conceptual framework for understanding the push and pull factors associated with labour market exit among the over 50s.FindingsFundamental to the success of changes in government pension policies in terms of extending labour market participation of older workers is the element of individual agency rather than a view of victimisation. Viewing older workers as the ones who have to pay for increasing life expectancy by working longer could lead to people staying in work for the wrong reasons, negatively affecting productivity and job satisfaction. The discussion and conclusion stress the need for deeper understanding of work as one contributor to overall quality of life.Originality/valueThe political agenda to prolong working lives is principally driven by economic arguments. However, for any future policies to lead to an intrinsic motivation to want to remain in work, the voices of older workers express the desire to combine work with non‐work related commitments and identities. Achieving such balance could benefit the whole labour force.


2006 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Didier Fouarge

Does more childcare stimulate mothers to re-enter the labour market? Does more childcare stimulate mothers to re-enter the labour market? Previous research has shown that the supply of formal childcare facilities has a positive effect on the labour market participation of mothers with young children. When the supply of childcare facilities is higher, the probability that a female keeps on working after the birth of a child is larger. But does childcare also helps non-working mothers to join the labour force? This research shows that it is not the case. The research was carried out on administrative panel data to which data on the regional supply of childcare and the regional demand for labour were matched. It shows that the supply of childcare does not play a significant role in the re-entry in the labour market of mothers. The age of the child and the demand for labour in the region play an important role.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sew Ming Tian

Through face-to-face interviews with seven immigrant women living in the Flemingdon Park area, this paper explores the barriers that immigrant women encounter in accessing the labour market, and the challenges they face in the labour market. The findings suggest that lack of work experience, language barriers, absence of networks, lack of education, and family responsibilities and gender roles are major barriers that immigrant women have to cope with while accessing the Canadian labour market. Working environment and underemployment appeared to be the challenges that immigrant women who are, or have been in the labour force, had to deal with in the work place.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 13-23
Author(s):  
Franciszek Kłosowski

AbstractThe aim of this study was to characterise the labour market of the Silesian voivodeship and its determinants between 2010 and 2012, although in order to show certain trends in changes data from the beginning of the 21st century are also used as a basis whereas from the more forward-looking perspective, projections up until 2020 were used. This market is very important from the nationwide perspective, and this is due to its complexity, size (it concentrates 2 million employed people, that is 14.4% of the whole workforce of Poland) and specificity (industry still plays a crucial role). In order to achieve the objective indicated above, a set of measures relating to the number of employed people, business entities or GDP were used for the purpose of the analysis. The presented material shows the high volatility of the situation on the labour market both at the voivodeship level and individual communities – this is particularly true of the number of employed people and the rate of unemployment. An advantage of the newly created jobs over those that are shed which has been continuously recorded since 2008 and a decrease in the unemployment rate are positive symptoms. Katowice being the largest market and, moreover, characterised by the highest rank range of its impact and lowest unemployment rate have gained a dominant position in the regional labour market. Bielsko-Biała, Tychy, Gliwice and Bieruń-Lędziny County also clearly stand out against the background of other communities. The most difficult situation can be observed in Bytom, Świętochłowice, Piekary Śląskie and in the counties located in the northern part of the voivodeship, that is Częstochowa, Myszków and Zawiercie. Not only today but also in the coming decade, in terms of demand the labour market of the Silesian voivodeship will be strongly affected by its demographic situation; population decline, ageing population, migration, including, in particular, foreign migration will cause a decline in the labour force. By contrast, the labour supply will depend on an economic factor, that is mainly an improvement in the economic situation in Poland and around the world and a reduction in the cost of labour (external determinants). In the next few years the role of innovation (including the technological factor) which will affect the labour demand in terms of quantity and, perhaps to a greater extent, in terms of quality (changes in the structure of the labour market) will become more and more significant.


2014 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 259-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
PER ERIK SOLEM ◽  
ASTRI SYSE ◽  
TRUDE FURUNES ◽  
REIDAR J. MYKLETUN ◽  
ANNET DE LANGE ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTResearch on the correspondence between retirement intentions and subsequent behaviour is scarce. We aimed to explore possible associations between retirement intentions and behaviour, using five-year high-quality quantitative panel data on Norwegian senior workers. Retirement intentions operate at different levels of firmness: (a) considerations; (b) preferences; and (c) decisions. Compared to work continuation considerations, a targeted age for retirement improved predictive power whether the target was preferred or decided, and particularly so if the target (i.e. the preferred or decided age of retirement), corresponded with a normative retirement age. Because more workers are able to state a preferred age of retiring than a decision about when to retire, preferences may be better proxies for retirement behaviour than decisions, when the issue is planning for policies. The correspondence between intentions and behaviour varies primarily by health, education and type of work. Older workers with poor health, and workers with low education, often retire earlier than they prefer. Blue-collar workers often retire earlier than they had decided. These findings illustrate the possible effect of labour market resources, not only for senior workers' labour market participation, but also for their opportunities to work up to the age they prefer or had decided. Even for white-collar workers and those in good health, constraints seem to apply when they wish to retire late.


2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 31-45
Author(s):  
Maria Bieć ◽  
Ewa Gałecka-Burdziak ◽  
Paweł Kaczorowski ◽  
Robert Pater

The aim of the article is to present a modified and extended version of a jobs calculator – a tool used to perform simulations of the relationship between the unemployment and employment rates while adopting different assumptions regarding the potential trends in Poles’ professional activity and in shaping the size of Poland’s population. The user of the calculator sets the value of the target unemployment rate, and the tool calculates the number of jobs whose creation and filling would be necessary to obtain the desired level of the unemployment rate. The current version of the jobs calculator application has been enhanced compared to the original one in such a way that it allows modifying parameters characterizing the labour market (the labour market participation rate and the rate of the population growth) and creating forecasts within a defined time span. The calculator utilises data from the Labour Force Survey. The paper presents labour market forecasts until 2022 as well as the results of a simulation performed on the data from Labour Force Survey for the 3rd quarter of 2018.


2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 890-912 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aart-Jan Riekhoff

During recent decades, labour market participation among older workers in the Netherlands has increased significantly. Postponing workers’ labour market withdrawal potentially makes their retirement patterns more uncertain and less predictable. This article uses Dutch register data to analyse de-standardisation and differentiation of retirement trajectories of men and women born between 1940 and 1946 for the age bracket of 59–65 ( N = 12,843). The results indicate that retirement trajectories of men have become more homogeneous, whereas those of women somewhat more heterogeneous. Simultaneously, retirement patterns of both men and women became more complex from one birth year to another.


2012 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 27-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathew Hutton ◽  
Philip Bohle ◽  
Maria Mc Namara

This article reviews published research on the effects of disability, age and gender on the job search process. Electronic databases (Medline [via Ovid], OT Seeker, CINAHL, AMED, and Proquest 5000) were used to identify studies focusing on job search and employment, disability, age, gender and other barriers to workforce participation. There has been extensive research on the effects of age and gender on the job search process, and the available evidence indicates that disability, age and gender play significant roles in shaping the job search processes of older workers. However, there has been little rigorous investigation of the role of disability and research specifically examining the relationships between disability, job search behaviours and employment outcomes was not identified. This is a significant gap in the literature on disability and participation in the labour market. Overall, this narrative review indicates that older workers with a disability face multiple disadvantages when seeking work, which impairs their ability to fully engage in the labour market.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document