Over the past years, older persons’ workforce participation has increased and, after years of studying early retirement, the focus has gradually shifted to workforce participation between age 60 and 70 years. Those are the years directly below and above the mandatory retirement age in most of the European countries. We investigate the influence of socio-economic status (SES) on older persons’ workforce participation. Moreover, we study whether the importance of private pensions in a country modifies the effect of SES. Survey data from eleven European countries are analysed in multilevel analyses. Results show that paid work in old age is the domain of persons with high SES. Moreover, a high share of private pensions in a country diminishes the influence of occupational prestige on men’s workforce participation. This suggests that older persons with low SES deserve particular attention in labour market reforms. Additionally, it suggests that pension reforms be monitored concerning their effects on social inequalities.
Purpose The interest in older entrepreneurs increases due to population aging. Previous research showed clear gender-differences among older entrepreneurs. This study investigates whether such gender-differences also exist in the retirement transition from entrepreneurship. It explores the influence of pension regulations for entrepreneurs on these gender-differences. Design/methodology/approach Longitudinal micro-level data from the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe is analyzed in multichannel sequence analyses and cluster analyses. Developments from age 50 to 69 are compared in the dimensions of entrepreneurship, employment and old-age pensions. Findings Entrepreneurs retire in three different transition patterns: (1) entrepreneurs becoming pensioners at 60, (2) entrepreneurs becoming pensioners at 65 and (3) individuals combining entrepreneurship with employment until they become pensioners at 65. Female entrepreneurs follow the same transition patterns as their male counterparts but retire earlier. Pension regulations for entrepreneurs modify the extent of the gender-differences within a country. Mandatory pension schemes with identical state pension ages for men and women reduce gender-differences, whereas mandatory schemes with gender-differences in the state pension age increase them. Schemes without mandatory coverage range in between the other two. Originality/value This article expands our knowledge on gender-differences among older entrepreneurs. These gender-differences also extent to how entrepreneurs transition into retirement. Pension regulations for entrepreneurs influence the extent of the gender-differences. Therefore, pension regulations for entrepreneurs constitute tools for promoting or hindering gender equality.
Futures studies is a multidisciplinary field that integrates disciplinary information through discussion. This article integrates information from life-course research with futures studies. Life-course research explores how human lives develop over time, focusing on the past and present. Futures studies may use this information to explore possible, probable, and preferable future developments of human lives. Life-course research defines a stable social context and standardized life-courses as a requirement for futures studies under shallow uncertainty. In this situation, important experiences in a person's life and social institutions create life-course patterns that may inform deterministic forecasts. Futures studies under medium uncertainty may be carried out when life-courses change gradually over time or when similar countries are compared. Here, personality also creates life-course patterns that may inform probabilistic forecasts. When social contexts change fundamentally or unexpectedly, then futures studies under deep uncertainty are called for. In this situation, important events, social institutions, and personality may inform foresight on future life-course patterns. Finally, futures studies under recognized ignorance may use previous life-course research for inspiration. These insights contribute to cumulative knowledge building, and they underline the opportunities and limitations of futures studies.
AbstractWorkplace digitalization created a sea change in work practices and it altered the situation of older workers. Digitalization entails the increased use of digital technologies, such as computers and online services. Older workers often possess limited digital skills, which may put their labor market participation at risk. Previous studies began exploring how older workers fare when their workplaces are digitalizing. However, the research field is still emerging and remains fragmented. This article comprises a systematic literature review that takes inventory of what we currently know about older workers in digitalizing workplaces. It demonstrates that older workers experience the digitalization of their workplaces in various areas, reaching from health monitoring to work arrangements. Interestingly, challenges and opportunities emerge in each area affected. This Janus-faced situation underlines the complexity of consequences, and it raises questions about social inequalities in these consequences. The work environment plays a crucial role in shaping how older workers experience workplace digitalization. It shapes which options for adaptation they have, and to which degree they can act on these options. This circumstance makes workplaces an excellent starting point for interventions. Country-characteristics likewise exert an influence. While characteristics such as retirement regulations are purposefully modified for intervention, other characteristics, such as culture, are not. This circumstance limits governmental options for shaping the situation of older workers in digitalizing workplaces. Future research should further explore the situation of older workers in digitalizing workplaces, paying special attention to the theoretical framework and to developments in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
