Work preferences after 50

a report from Eurofound


People aged 50+ have a wealth of experience and contribute to society in numerous ways, including paid work, informal care and volunteering. However, particularly in the Member States that have joined the EU since 2004, the situation of people aged 50+ can be a vulnerable one – especially in terms of access to healthcare, housing quality and material deprivation.

Part-time work facilitates a better work–life balance – particularly, it seems, for people aged 50+. Among people aged 50+, both in and out of employment, there is a preference for more part-time options.

Unemployed people of all ages want to work. However, unemployed people aged 50+ who can make ends meet would prefer a considerably shorter working week than those who have difficulties making ends meet – this difference is not found in younger age groups. About half of all retirees who are not in employment say they would like to work, often part-time. Proportions are higher for younger, highly educated and healthy retirees with work experience.

The desire to work among people aged 50+, both those in and out of employment, does not seem to be opposed by partners of people aged 50+.

Download PDF (24 pages) here

---

Bridges or Traps? Casualisation and Labour Market Transitions in Australia

an article by Ian Watson (Macquarie University, Australia) published inThe Journal of Industrial Relations Volume 55 Number 1 (February 2013)

Abstract

In this article, I re-examine the familiar debate on whether casual jobs represent a ‘bridge’ into permanent employment or a ‘trap’ that keeps workers locked into ongoing casualised work or joblessness.

My analysis looks at the labour market destinations of casual workers over time, making use of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey data for the period 2001 to 2009.

The novelty of my approach is twofold.

First, I examine an extensive range of individual, locality and job characteristics to assess which of these are most strongly associated with various labour market destinations.

Second, I conduct the analysis using longitudinal panel data, in which I make use of random intercepts multinomial logit panel models to estimate various conditional predicted probabilities for these destinations.

The findings show that as far as individual characteristics are concerned, age and years in paid employment matter a great deal, while education matters much less. Increasing age leads to worse outcomes, more years in paid employment lead to better outcomes, and increased levels of educational qualification have only a modest link to better outcomes.

In regard to locality, the more disadvantaged the area, the more likely that casual jobs will persist, transitions to permanent jobs will diminish and transitions to joblessness will increase.

In regard to the jobs themselves, casualisation persists in those industries where casual density is high, where organisations are small, where the work is part-time and where skills development is limited. These findings suggest that systemic influences count for a great deal, while human capital elements count for much less.

I conclude that the very nature of casual jobs is itself responsible for perpetuating casualised employment.

---