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
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- 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
Review: agendas in researching ageing and work
- Authors: Taylor, Philip
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Older workers in an ageing society : Critical topics in research and policy Chapter 18 p. 264-273
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: This chapter aims to provide a summary of themes emerging from the preceding chapters and to identify fresh research agendas. It sets out lessons for the social and labour market actors and for older workers themselves in responding to demographic trends.
The Older Worker : Identifying a critical research agenda
- Authors: Taylor, Philip , Loretto, Wendy , Marshall, Victor , Earl, Catherine , Phillipson, Christopher
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Social Policy and Society Vol. 15, no. 4 (2016), p. 675-689
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The roles that older workers play in labour markets has received a great deal of policy and academic scrutiny in response to economic crises and demographic change. As a starting point, this focus has paradoxically resulted in insufficient attention to older workers themselves. The article is thus concerned with refocusing the agenda for research onto the older worker. Building on an extensive literature review, four gaps in knowledge are identified: who might be researched; what the focus of that research might be; the role of theory informing the research; and how the research might be conducted. The article identifies a particular need for research on 'work' as opposed to 'retirement' and how the changing nature of work may influence future patterns of later life labour market engagement and retirement. It is argued that better public policy will result from more critical and socially embedded research that recognises the heterogeneity of 'older workers' and their motivations. © Cambridge University Press 2016.
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
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- 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.