Working longer in European countries: underestimated and unexpected effects

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to analyse the main evolutions and the current situation of the 50-74 year olds on the labour market in eight European countries (Denmark France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Sweden, Poland and the UK).Design methodology approach - Based on a cross-country...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of manpower 2012-01, Vol.33 (6), p.612-628
Main Authors: Anxo, Dominique, Ericson, Thomas, Jolivet, Annie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age discrimination
Aging
Commodification
Denmark
Early retirement
Economic growth
Economics
Employers
Employment
France
Gender
Germany
Italy
Labor market
Monetary incentives
Multiculturalism & pluralism
Nationalekonomi
Older workers
Pensions
Poland
Public policy
Retirement
Self employment
Studies
Sweden
The Netherlands
Trends
United Kingdom
Women
Working conditions
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Summary:Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to analyse the main evolutions and the current situation of the 50-74 year olds on the labour market in eight European countries (Denmark France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Sweden, Poland and the UK).Design methodology approach - Based on a cross-country comparative approach, this overview draws on detailed analysis of the situation of older workers and public policies in each of the selected countries but also on a wide range of available studies and statistics on employment and welfare outcomes.Findings - The eight selected countries display similarities: a u-shaped pattern of employment rates of older workers (55-64 years old) over the last 40 years, with an increase since the mid 1990s, the later exit of higher educated workers and the higher prevalence of non-standard employment contracts among older workers. On the other hand, considerable disparities can be observed regarding the gender gap in employment rate, current employment rates, self-employment and part-time employment among older workers.Social implications - Specific questions will be more acute with the effective postponement of retirement: increasing inequalities between groups of older workers, increasing uncertainty about the age of retirement, the way to keep lower educated workers in their jobs, sustainable working conditions, increasing risks of age discrimination, and impact of care of older relatives.Originality value - This paper offers a synthetic overview with a special attention paid to the main features of the countries' exit patterns at the end of the working life, the prevailing public policies and the specificity of the different national employment and societal models.
ISSN:0143-7720
1758-6577
1758-6577
DOI:10.1108/01437721211261787