Reconceptualising work-retirement transitions: Critiques of the new retirement and bridge employment
- Authors: Earl, Catherine , Taylor, Philip
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Ageing, Organisations and Management : Constructive Discourses and Critical Perspectives Chapter 15 p. 323-344
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- Description: There is an extensive and growing research literature, particularly in the psychology and management disciplines, concerning ‘bridge employment’ which, it is argued, is increasingly occurring between the end of a career job and full retirement. However, this area is undertheorised and lacking a long view in terms of an appreciation of the wider literature concerned with work and retirement, in particular being informed by the political economy and lifecourse perspectives. Bridging the gap between work and retirement is of current concern as governments push out the ages at which people work and retire, with retirement, once considered the moral foundation of social welfare systems, being refashioned as a kind of unemployment. This chapter takes a critical stance on what we describe as the new retirement and the concept of bridge employment, questioning the motives for the emergence of the former and the latter’s utility for researchers and policymakers as a lens through which to view the evolution of work–retirement transitions.
The workforce demographic shift and the changing nature of work : implications for policy, productivity, and participation
- Authors: Earl, Catherine , Taylor, Philip , Roberts, Chris , Huynh, Patrick , Davis, Simon
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Age Diversity in the Workplace : an organizational perspective p. 3-34
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- Description: Population ageing, coupled with economic uncertainty and a shifting workforce structure, has directed the attention of public and organizational policy makers toward the potential contribution of older workers and skilled migrants in meeting labor supply shortages in ageing populations. This chapter presents labor supply and demand scenarios for 10 OECD countries and examines trends in the labor force participation of older workers against the backdrop of changes to the nature of work in an era of globalization, casualization, and, increasingly, automation. Brief analysis of each country's situation and policy responses indicates that China, Japan, and Korea stand out as being at particular risk of being unable to maintain growth without undertaking drastic action, although their areas of focus need to differ. A limitation of the study is that GDP projections used in labor demand analysis were based on historical rates and represented past potential and a long-run average of historic economic output. Future research might also undertake comparative analysis of case studies addressing different potential solutions to workforce ageing. A key implication of the study is that there is a need to take a blended approach to public policy regarding older workers in a changing labor market. Where migration has historically been a source of labor supplementation, this may become a less viable avenue over the near future. Future shortfalls in labor imply that economies will increasingly need to diversify their sources of workers in order to maintain economic growth. For public policy makers the challenge will be to overcome public antipathy to migration and longer working lives. Copyright © 2017 by Emerald Publishing Limited All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.
Australian employer usage of the practice of offering reduced working hours to workers close to retirement : Extent and determinants
- Authors: Taylor, Philip , Earl, Catherine , McLoughlin, Christopher
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australasian Journal on Ageing Vol. 35, no. 2 (2016), p. E13-E17
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- Description: Aim: This study aimed to determine factors associated with the implementation by employers of the practice of offering reduced working hours for workers nearing retirement. Methods: Data came from a survey of 2000 employers of more than 50 employees each (30% response rate). Results: A minority (33%) of employers offered reduced working hours to older workers nearing retirement. Factors associated with offering reduced working hours were: expecting workforce ageing to cause a loss of staff to retirement; being a large employer; being a public/not-for-profit sector employer; not experiencing difficulties recruiting labourers; having a larger proportion of workers aged over 50; experiencing national competition for labour; not experiencing difficulties recruiting machinery operators/drivers; not expecting workforce ageing to increase workplace injuries; and experiencing difficulties with the quality of candidates. Conclusion: A minority of employers were found to offer reduced working hours to those nearing retirement. Factors associated with their propensity to do so included industry sector, size of employer, concerns about labour supply and the effects of workforce ageing. © 2016 AJA Inc.
Bridging the grey divide : An international perspective on the ageing workforce and longer working lives
- Authors: Taylor, Philip , Earl, Catherine
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Journal of Social Issues Vol. 51, no. 2 (2016), p. 119-125
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Discriminatory practices of older workers in an ageing residential care workforce
- Authors: Earl, Catherine , Taylor, Philip
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Work Innovation Vol. 1, no. 4 (2016), p. 391-412
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- Description: Job opportunities for older workers in the residential care sector are strong so there appears to be little age discrimination against them in recruitment, but it has been recognised that in the workplace age- and gender-based stereotyping challenges the efficacy of age management and generates intergenerational issues. This article focuses on the ageing of the female-dominated workforce in an Australian residential care organisation. Firstly, it argues age-based discriminatory practices are not only directed towards older workers but may also affect younger workers. Secondly, it argues older workers are not only the victims of discrimination but may discriminate against both younger and older co-workers. In doing so, they may draw on perceptions of age, gender and other attributes, including skills, qualifications and status in the organisational hierarchy. The potential policy implications of this complexity of age prejudices in terms of labour shortages and inclusive management practices are briefly discussed.
Making the case for older workers
- Authors: Taylor, Philip , Earl, Catherine
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Management Revue Vol. 27, no. 1-2 (2016), p. 14-28
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- Description: Against a background of population ageing, and with it, concomitant effects on social welfare systems and labour markets, public policy makers in affected nations are seeking ways of pushing out the final age of withdrawal from their labour markets. Central to such efforts is promoting the contribution of older workers to organizations and overcoming labour market age barriers. Within this advocacy approach there has been recent interest in identifying and promulgating examples of employer best practice in order to emphasize new dimensions of the business case for employing older workers. Drawing on literature concerned with advocating an ethical concern in human resource management as it pertains to older workers, this article examines an exemplar set of employer case studies aimed at promulgating best practice. It considers the concept of age management and its manifestations to argue that many standard HRM practices are firmly, although probably unwittingly, grounded in ageist assumptions concerning the capacities, potentiality and contributions of both younger and older workers. This, we argue, is a consequence of an unnecessarily narrow conception of good employment practice based in an economic rationality that is not conducive to the effective management of age in organizations.
Recent public policy and Australian older workers
- Authors: Taylor, Philip , Earl, Catherine , McLoughlin, Christopher
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Journal of Social Issues Vol. 51, no. 2 (2016), p. 229-247
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- Description: This article considers the characteristics and utility of pro-work policies targeting Australian older workers that have emerged in the context of population ageing, amid concerns that this will lead to labour shortages and an increasing social welfare burden. There has been a recent surge in public policy regarding the ageing workforce, the efficacy of which has not been tested by evaluation studies. After considering the conceptual foundations and objectives of various government initiatives, it is argued that the present public policy approach may have serious flaws that are not only detrimental to the stated overall objective of prolonging working lives, but may, in fact, be harmful to older workers and fail to address the needs of business. This stems from programs reaching only a small proportion of those older people who would potentially benefit from assistance, and from misdirected effort aimed at encouraging behavioural change on the part of employers or industries. It is argued that there is a need for greater targeting of policy efforts on the actual needs of industry and for public policy itself to become more age-aware. S (Australian Bureau of Statistics), 2010, Older People and the Labour Market, Australia, 2010 S (Australian Bureau of Statistics), 2010, General Social Survey: Summary Results, Australia, 2010
Academic transition: a new style of learning
- Authors: Stating, Rebecca , Earl, Catherine
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Student Voices in Education Chapter 4 p.47-60
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Academic writing
- Authors: Earl, Catherine , Holm, Annette
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Student Voices in Transition Chapter 6 p.76-90
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Adjusting to the University Culture: becoming an independent learner
- Authors: Earl, Catherine , Strating, Rebecca
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Student Voices in Transition Chapter 3 p. 33-46
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Is Workplace flexibility good policy? Evaluating the efficacy of age management strategies for older women workers
- Authors: Earl, Catherine , Taylor, Philip
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Work, aging and retirement Vol. 1, no. 2 (2015), p. 214-226
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- Description: A combination of age and gender factors shape older women’s workplace experiences. Age advocacy groups, together with many academic commentators, argue in favor of workplace flexibility, pointing to benefits for both older workers and their employers. But knowledge about the policies of organizations and how they are enacted by managers is still rudimentary. What do managers understand flexibility to mean and how do they implement flexible working options? What are the perceived benefits and costs of flexibility for organizations and for older women workers? Drawing on qualitative interviews conducted with 58 human resource managers, this article considers the provision of flexible working arrangements targeting older women in Australia within 3 industry sectors: financial services, public sector, and higher education. Interviews revealed a gap between policy and practice regarding the management of older women workers. We argue that the efficacy of line managers and their willingness to innovate are crucial in managing such workers and prolonging their working lives.
Life as lived and life as talked about: Family, love and marriage in Twenty-First Century Vietnam
- Authors: Earl, Catherine
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Routledge handbook of sexuality studies in East Asia Chapter 7 p. 101-111
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Recruitment and selection of older workers
- Authors: Earl, Catherine , Taylor, Philip , McLoughlin, Christopher
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Encyclopedia of Geropsychology Chapter 13 p.
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- Description: In recent decades there has been a shift in labor market public policy from a culture of early retirement to one centered on hiring older workers, i.e., those aged over 50. The culture of early exit flourished in most major industrialized economies until the 1990s. Previously, older workers who left the workforce prematurely were regarded to be early retirees rather than unemployed. Their joblessness ended not with their reentering the workforce but transferring to pensions (Casey and Laczko 1989). Subsequently, there has been a policy shift towards prolonging working lives that has been generated by population aging in general as well as the aging of workforces in specific industry sectors, such as nursing and teaching.
Social transition
- Authors: Williams, Pamela , Earl, Catherine
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Student voices in transition p. 61-75
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The role of partial retirement in organizational policy making in Australia
- Authors: Taylor, Philip , McLoughlin, Christopher , Earl, Catherine
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Bridge employment: A research handbook Chapter 12 p.239-251
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Vietnam's new middle classes : Gender, career, city
- Authors: Earl, Catherine
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Book
- Relation: Gendering Asia No. 9
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‘Falling between the cracks: Older women and organizational policy-making'
- Authors: Earl, Catherine , Taylor, Philip , Williams, Ruth , Brooke, Elizabeth
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Women's Career Development Throughout The Lifespan: An International Exploration Chapter 4 p.
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Adjustment
- Authors: Earl, Catherine
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Student voices in transition: The experiences of pathways students p.
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Home
- Authors: Earl, Catherine
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Student Voices in Transition: The Experiences of Pathways Students Chapter 8 p. 213-249
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Independent learning
- Authors: Earl, Catherine
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Book chapter , Electronic book section
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- Description: "In Australia and South Africa, as in many other states, an important aspect of higher education policy entails initiatives to broaden participation among under-represented student groups. In response, universities have developed pathways to higher education that aim to attract, prepare and retain students from increasingly diverse backgrounds. In order to do this, it is important to develop an informed understanding of how these students experience university. Student voices in transition : the experiences of pathways students explores how previously under-represented students perceive university and learn to successfully adapt. Student voices in transition reports the voices of students who entered university through access pathways at Monash University in Australia and South Africa. It provides insight into why these students sought university qualifications, how they adjusted to university study, the challenges they faced and the rewards they experienced. It identifies the issues faced by commencing university students, particularly those who have past experiences of modest academic achievement, and what the transition to university actually involves, regardless of how it is reported by experts, lecturers or institutions."--Back cover.