Page 34 - increasing-the-value-of-age-guidance-in-employers-age-management-strategies

Increasing the value of age: guidance in employers’ age management strategies

CHAPTER 3.

European statistics on older workers and

enterprise policies

3.1. Introduction

Before focusing on national policies (Chapter 4) and current practices (Chapters
5, 6 and 7), this chapter, based on European statistics, first discusses the
employment of older workers in Europe, their participation in lifelong learning,
and the barriers they face. It also addresses European figures on active age
management and specific policies for older workers in European enterprises.

3.2. Background characteristics of older workers

3.2.1. The share of older workers is growing in Europe
The population of Europe is changing; the average age is inclining and so the
age of the working population is changing. Older employees are becoming a
larger part of the (potential) working population, and the baby boom generation
will reach the pension age the coming years. Older people represent an important
part of the total as well as the working population in Europe.
Middle and older-aged adults (45-64 years) represent 25% of the total and
almost 40% of the working population in the EU-27 Member States. Many EU-27
Member States have working populations with shares over 45 years old nearly up
to 40% (Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal,
Finland, Sweden and the UK). Malta is the country with the lowest share of older-
aged adults in its working population (33%).
While the shares of individuals belonging to different cohorts of older
workers (45-54 and 55-64) in the total population are more or less similar
(although slightly decreasing with rising age), most older workers in the average
Member States belong to the 45 to 54 (14% of total population) and 54 to 64
cohorts (13% of total population).
In all countries except Germany, Finland and Sweden, where the share is
slightly higher (around 20%), the 55 to 64 cohort amounts to roughly 10 to 15% of
the working population; this means relatively few young people in the working
population. All of these developments will have an effect on the labour market

28