Is improvement of working conditions related to an increase in the subjective employment perspective of older workers?
Background:
In the context of extending working life policies in Germany, this study examines how long older workers want to and can remain in the labor force and how actual changes in working conditions affect their employment perspectives.
Methods:
The analyses are based on data from the second (2014) and third (2018) waves of the German lidA cohort study, which is representative for socially insured employees born in 1959 and 1965. In descriptive cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, changes in the four work factors, physically demanding work, shift work, appreciation of work performance and opportunities for development were examined in connection with the change in employment perspectives ("until what age do you want to/are you able to work?").
Results:
According to their own estimation, older employees in Germany can work longer than they want to, men longer than women and older employees longer than younger ones. The longitudinal analyses show that many older employees want to and can work longer as they approach the legal retirement age. Furthermore, improvements in working conditions are usually accompanied by an extended employment perspective.
Discussion:
The results reveal different patterns, each different in relation to the examined work factors, the outcomes want to and can, and gender. The gender differences can be explained in part by the characteristic gender-segregated distribution of jobs in the groups examined. If a relief from adverse job exposure in higher working age is associated with a longer employment perspective, this may indicate freed resources of the respective employees. Where such a relief is not associated with an extension of the employment perspective, it may indicate exhaustion and an overdue relief measure.
