Population ageing and older workers: employers' perceptions, attitudes and policies

✍ Scribed by Wendy Loretto; Phil White

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 144 KB
• Volume: 12
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1544-8444
• DOI: 10.1002/psp.421

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Increasing employment of older workers (those aged 50 and over) has been proposed as a strategy to cushion the impact of declining and ageing populations. Focusing on Scotland, this article considers the various measures that have been put forward to counteract population decline, and reviews public policy approaches aimed at increasing economic activity rates among older workers. It is argued that the attitudes and behaviours of employers are a crucial, but neglected, issue within the debates on employability of older workers. After reviewing existing research relating to employers' approaches towards older workers, we present findings from focus groups of employers conducted in four areas of Scotland in 2003. Our findings show that, whilst employers claimed to operate equal opportunities policies, they also showed partiality in favour of and against older workers. There was little evidence of strategic deployment of older workers, either currently, or in relation to forward planning. Instead a range of sectoral, structural and spatial factors influenced the heterogeneous approaches of employers towards older workers. We discuss the future employability of older workers in light of recent migration trends, and conclude by examining the wider relevance of our research for population ageing and decline. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.