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The Role of Job related Factors to Prolong Working Life: An Analysis for the German Labour Market
(2012)
Labour markets and companies in some developed countries have to consider general demographic changes. While the group of elderly workers grows, their sustainment will become more important in future (e.g. Höhn et al. 2008; Dittrich et al. 2011). Especially in combination with an ageing population and a later entrance into the labour market a future shortfall of active workers can be assumed. Germany – as one example of such countries – has only a limited number of options that policy makers and companies can use in the coming decades. One of these is the increased use of the three growing segments in the population: older people, immigrants and an increased participation of women in the labour market. This study focuses the first segment as a potential work force. When promoting that a higher employment rate of older workers can be considered as serious alternative for dealing with the current shortfall of skilled labour force, the motivation of these workers has to be investigated. The works of Alavinia et al. (2007) and Wang, Shultz (2010), which discuss factors influencing the decision to prolong the working age, can be used as starting point. In this context, we analyse the German labour market as an example for a developed country. For the analysis, we use a representative data set of the Federal Institute for Population Research of Germany from published in2008. Here, 1,500 employees (blue collar workers, white collar workers, civil servants) aged between 55 and 64 years were asked about their work situation, motivation and related factors (e.g. further education, job rewards; Büsch et al. 2010). During the data analysis we identify groups of elderly workers using cluster analysis (e.g. Cormack 1971) to develop recommendations for companies. By using existing work motivation and related findings, as well as a representative empirical data set, our study reveals a possibility to identify, classify, and enhance the motivation of workers at the end of their career. This is necessary to keep the quality of goods and service production at an appropriate level. The value of the paper comes from the large number of respondents of the data set and the high relevance of the German situation for other developed countries. At the end, powerful recommendations for companies how to involve and motivate elderly workers for longer periods of employment can be derived.
Decreasing birth rates and increasing life expectancy have led to the ageing of the German population during the past decades. As the German retirement pay system is a pay-as-you-go system, legal retirement age is increased step by step to 67 years. Long before individuals actually retire, environmental factors but also personal factors influence the path of the retirement process. Work ability can be maintained through continuing education. Understanding and possibly even increasing older employees’ motivation to participate in continuing education is vital to achieving the European Union’s aim of individuals’ “lifelong learning” to cope with challenges of technological and organisational change. This empirical study analyses the influence of work context factors on motivation to participate in continuing education. Data source is the “Survey on continuing in employment after reaching pensionable age”, commissioned in 2008 by the Bundesinstitut für Bevölkerungsforschung (Federal Institute for Population Research). Results show weak but significant influences of some work context factors. Recommendations for actions and further research directions are given.
Germany, relying on a pay-as-you-go pension system has increased regular retirement age to 67 due to its ageing population caused by decreasing birth rates and increasing life expectancy. Using data from the nationally representative ‘Survey on continuing in employment in pensionable age’, we investigate the relevance of training motivation for work ability and the desire to work past retirement age and whether differences between social groups reflect inequalities in training participation. Results show significant positive correlations between continuing training motivation and work ability and desire to work past retirement age. Differentiated for selected respondent groups the level of qualification has a significant influence. This effect was stronger than any differences with regard to gender or employment participation. Results imply external conditions only partly explain older workers’ work ability or desire to work past retirement age. Compared to inequalities in training participation, motivation for continuing training is high across analysed subgroups.