In this project, we aim to identify the barriers workers may encounter as they age, with a focus on critical turning points and transitions.
The future sustainability of the welfare state will depend on the ability to mobilize and utilize the competence of older workers.
Are workplaces prepared for an aging workforce? And are the opportunities to adapt to changes, acquire new skills, pursue career development, or change employers equally distributed among workers of all ages?
Research questions
The overarching research question is: What is an age-friendly working life, and how do disruptive events and management preferences hinder and promote good working careers across the lifespan?
One ambition of this project is to develop an index to measure age-friendliness across labor market sectors. This index will be used to discuss how likely it is that job creation can support lifelong careers.
Furthermore, the project will examine how disruptive events, such as automation or unexpected health problems, affect workers to better understand the mechanisms that marginalize older workers.
A crucial component of the project will explore employers' and managers' explicit and implicit attitudes and practices in the recruitment and development of workers in the second half of their careers. When and why does age become an issue? And is there unequal treatment of candidates of different ages?
Theoretical and methodological perspectives
The project will draw on theoretical and methodological perspectives from economics and sociology, using a wide range of data sources: register data, survey data and qualitative interviews.
This approach will facilitate discussions about changes over time, international comparisons, and intersectional disadvantages.
Participants
Partner institutions
- Institute for Social Research
- University of California
