scholarly journals Sustainable work for health and job longevity

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-162
Author(s):  
Maria Albin ◽  
Theo Bodin ◽  
Eskil Wadensjö

While improved public health in groups with high or middle socioeconomic status (e.g. educational level) permits many to work for more years, the gap is widening for less advantaged groups, such as those with only compulsory level education. Within manual jobs, individual health status and the challenges of physical demands exceed the physical capacity of many middle-aged, and with a low bargaining power, constitute major threats to job longevity. Artificial intelligence and digitization are also rapidly transforming the labour market, especially for low-mid grade (level) white-collar workers. Young workers often have insecure job contracts, while older workers may have a permanent position but have a fear of leaving a safe position for a new one, and ultimately may be forced to leave their job when they are unable to meet the demands. Current economic incentives to prolong working life – often combined with more restrictive unemployment and disability benefits – may overall increase work participation but may also decrease sustainability in the more disadvantaged part of the labour market. Recent research suggests that unemployment is the most important factor behind lost working years among workers with less education, and that primary prevention focused on the work environment rather than individual health promotion (lifestyle habits), will enhance sustainability together with inclusive welfare systems. Resilience, or reduced vulnerability, in the workforce on a macro- and workplace level can be achieved by well-established societal measures.

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 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 1178-1192
Author(s):  
Natalya A. Chernykh ◽  
Anna N. Tarasova ◽  
Andrey E. Syrchin

The problem of age discrimination in the labour sector has become even more relevant, as the increase in the retirement age and the COVID-19 pandemic in Russia reinforce ageism. The article aims to assess the incidence of age discrimination in the labour market of the Sverdlovsk Region and examine employers’ behaviour towards people nearing retirement. The mixed methodology includes quantitative (analysis of statistics, questionnaire survey, content analysis) and qualitative (in-depth interviews with employers) research methods. While in the 1990s age discrimination was evident and expressed in the exclusion of older workers from the employment sector, now age discrimination is latent and has different manifestations. The results showed that people aged over 45 have less job opportunities in the labour market. Thus, most of them choose to maintain employment. This strategy, however, does not protect against other discriminatory practices such as displacement to less paid positions, reduced pay rate, etc. This situation leads to the decrease in the average wage of workers aged 50-55 by approximately 25%. We can conclude that employers did not change their behaviour and continue using discriminatory practices to maximise the return on human capital, shifting the risks of pension reform to employees. The government is trying to smooth over the differences between the effectiveness of the regional economic system, focused on maximising the use of regional human resources, and the effectiveness of individual organisations by protecting labour rights and promoting the employment of people nearing retirement. However, the government support measures mainly focus on training or retraining of people aged over 50, while employers lack economic incentives to reconsider their attitude towards older workers. Thus, we recommend developing governmental mechanisms for encouraging employers to change their personnel policy concerning employees aged over 50.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (336) ◽  
pp. 43-59
Author(s):  
Anna Ruzik-Sierdzińska

Discussions on how to prevent negative economic consequences of ageing of societies have resulted in the reforms that should prolong labour market participation and postpone retirement of longer living generations. Pension systems are among those reformed most frequently. Also in Poland – since the beginning of economic transformation in the early 1990s – retirement rules have changed many times. Pre‑retirement benefits and allowances have been introduced to help those who became unemployed at an older age. Since 2009 early retirement is not possible any more (with some exceptions), the standard retirement age continued to increase since 2013 and then it decreased again in 2017. The aim of the paper is to analyse the driving forces of retirement in Poland. Such knowledge is important to develop proper policies and expectations about labour supply decisions. We have analysed what factors influenced retirement decisions in the last decade, with a special focus on pension system regulations. The main data sources used in this paper are Labour Force Survey (BAEL) data for the years 2005–2016 and the Social Insurance Institution statistics. Probabilities of retirement from the labour force were presented and discussed. Then, individual BAEL data for persons aged 50–74 in the years 2013–2016 were used to estimate logistic regression models of odds of labour market inactivity. The results show that education or health status are significant factors influencing retirement decisions in Poland. Additionally, older workers react to economic incentives for retirement created by the pension system, mainly the retirement age.


Author(s):  
Elena Calegari ◽  
Enrico Fabrizi ◽  
Chiara Mussida

AbstractThe 2030 Agenda of the United Nations clearly sets the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the labour market as a main goal. However, especially in care welfare systems characterized by a low level of social services, disability not only impacts the labour market participation of disabled people themselves but may also affect the labour opportunities of other members of their household. Using EU-SILC data to compute individual work intensity-as a better measure of the actual level of labour attainment-this paper aims to disentangle direct and indirect correlations between disability and labour market participation in Italian households. In confirming the negative direct correlation between disability and labour market participation, the results also show a negative indirect correlation that depends on the family relationship between the disabled person and household members.


2000 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 283-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lok Sang Ho ◽  
Xiang Dong Wei ◽  
Jan P. Voon

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 146-157
Author(s):  
Liani Surya Rakasiwi

This study analyzed the impact of demography and socioeconomic status on individual health status in Indonesia. The data used Indonesia Family Life Survey 5 (IFLS 5). The study use logit regression model for analysis with health status variable as dependent variable. The other variable such as demography and socioeconomic status as independent variables. Socioeconomic status seen from two measures, namely education and income. The result of this study concludes the demography influence significantly on individual health status in Indonesia. Individual who lives in urban area has higher probability of being health by 1,02 percent compared to individual who lives in rural area. The other variable like socioeconomic status also influences significantly on the individual health status in Indonesia. Individual with longer years of education has higher probability of being health by 3,07 percent compared to individual with less years of education. Individual with high income has higher probability of being health compared to individual with low income.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-66
Author(s):  
Lennart Flood ◽  
Nizamul Islam

Abstract According to the Eurostat the old-age dependency (people aged 65 or above relative to those aged 15- 64) in the EU will rise from 28% in 2010 to 58% in 2060. During the same period total hours works are projected to fall contributing to a low projected economic growth over the next half-century. In this paper we argue that this gloomy picture might be challenged by an increase in the employment rates of older workers. Using Sweden as an illustration we show that the ratio of individuals with income from both pension and market work has increased strongly during the last decade. During the same period economic reforms have been introduced creating economic incentives in order to delay the exit from the labor market. In this paper we demonstrate the importance of these economic reforms in explaining increased working hours. The paper also evaluates the fiscal impact of the increase in the employment rates.


2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 259-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Taylor ◽  
Brad Jorgensen ◽  
Erin Watson

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