the ageing workforce in ireland: working conditions ... · 13 @@esridublin...

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The Ageing Workforce in Ireland: Working Conditions, Health and Extending Working Lives

DATE1st of October 2019

VENUEESRI, Whitaker Square, Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2

AUTHORSIvan PrivalkoHelen RussellBertrand Maȋtre

www.esri.ie @ESRIDublin #ESRIevents #ESRIpublications1 October 20192

Background

• Extending working lives: key policy goal in Europe and Ireland (DPER, 2016; European Foundation, 2012)

• The EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work 2014–2020 includes ‘taking account of the ageing of the EU’s workforce’ as a major health & safety challenge.

• Workers leave employment for reasons other than illness/injury, including family obligations and voluntary retirement (King and

Pickard, 2013; Warren and Kelloway, 2010)


• Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are more common among older age groups (Russell et al., 2016; EU-OSHA, 2016a).

• Work-related stress, anxiety, depression is lowest among workers over 65, peaks at 45-54 yrs then drops (Russell et al. 2016).

• Age is not a determinant of performance or ability to work (reviews by EU OSHA 2016; Borsh-Supan 2013)

• Biological ageing varies across individuals and influenced by past and current working conditions; experience compensates for any deterioration in physical abilities; adjustments to tasks, hours can accommodate biological ageing

• Social construction of age – stereotypes/policies

Health & Work related illness and older workers


• Younger workers and inexperienced workers are the most at risk of workplace injury (Crawford et al., 2010; Khanzode et al.,

2012).

• Irish research finds injury declines with age, even when differences in sector & occupation taken into account (Russell et al., 2015)

• Older workers over-represented in fatal injuries (HSA reports)

• Injury rates are lower for older workers, but accidents involving older workers are likely to result in more serious injuries, permanent disabilities or death when compared to younger workers (EU OSHA, 2016a; Robertson and Tracy, 1998).

Work related injury and older workers


• What are the working conditions of older workers? How do they feel about their conditions and their prospects to continue work?

• Which sectors and occupations are best at retaining older workers?

• What are the reasons workers give for early exit? Do these reasons differ by sector or occupation?

• Are older workers at greater risk of work fatalities?

Research Questions

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Data and analysis

• Data

• European Working Conditions Survey 2015

• Labour Force Survey Q4 2017- Q3 2018

• Health and Safety Authority Fatality Statistics 2004-2017

• Sample definition

• Older workers: Respondents in employment 55 and over.

• Early leavers: Respondents out of work for more than a year, who left employment in the last 8 years, and who were aged 55-59 when they left.

• Possibility of selection effect when comparing older and younger workers.


Age composition of Irish Labour Force (% & N), LFS

852.1 1108.9818.5

694 966.6

1167.5

166.8 289.1 413.4

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1998 2008 2018

55 and over

35-54

15-34


ILO Employment rate by Age (%), LFS

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

19

98

Q2

20

00

Q2

20

02

Q2

20

04

Q2

20

06

Q2

20

08

Q2

20

10

Q2

20

12

Q2

20

14

Q2

20

16

Q2

20

18

Q2

25 - 34 years

35 - 44 years

45 - 54 years

55 - 59 years

60 - 64 years


Self employment by age and gender, LFS 2018

16%

35%

74%

21%

7%13%

37%

8%

Under 55 55-64 65 plus All ages

Age

Self employment (male) Self employment (female)


Polarised working time among older male workers;Reduced hours for older female workers

Men Under 55 55-64 65 plusWeekly hours worked % % %

<15hrs 2.9 2.4 9.715-29hrs 7.8 10.6 18.930-39hrs 32.3 30.5 18.040-49hrs 41.5 32.7 20.350hrs plus 15.5 23.8 33.1Total 100 100 100Women Under 55 55-64 65 plus

% % %<15hrs 6.3 9.1 28.615-29hrs 24.8 32.9 35.630-39hrs 41.5 40.7 20.340-49hrs 23.4 13.5 9.950hrs plus 4.0 3.8 5.6Total 100 100 100


Health and safety “at risk” due to work by age, EWCS 2015

17%

24%22%

20%

7%

15-30 31-40 41-54 55-64 65+


Perceived effects of work on Health by age, EWCS 2015

20%

13%

19%

25%28%

15%

21%18% 17%

12%

65% 66%63%

58% 60%

15-30 31-40 41-54 55-64 65+

Positive Negative Does not affect health

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Odds of agreeing able to work till 60 (or another 5 years if over 55) in current or similar Job, EWCS 2015

1.64

3.93

2.67

0.3

1.51

0.38

0.48

0.65

0.38

0.85

0.56

0.86

0.47

0.1 1 10

31-40

41-54

55-64

65 and over

Clerical

Service worker

Craft & skilled agric

Plant/machine operative

Elementary worker

Good balance

Not good balance

Physical demands (scale)

Health/Safety risk

Re

f: 1

5-3

0ye

ars

Re

f:M

anag

er/P

rofe

ss

Re

f: V

go

od

wo

rk-l

ife

bal

ance

Re

f:n

ot

at risk


Retention Rates

• A retention rate calculates the proportion of employed aged 55 to 59 years still in employment at age 60 to 65 years (OECD Older Workers Scorecard)

• Synthetic cohort. Compares numbers employed aged 60-65 years with 5 years or more job tenure in 2018 to the numbers of 55-59 years employed 5 years earlier (2013)


Retention rates by sector 60-64 year olds, LFS 2018

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

Other Services

Health & Social Work…

Education

Transportation

Industry

Public Admin.

Accommodation

Retail/Wholesale

Construction

Administrative & Support…

Agriculture

Total

Employees

All Employed


Retention rates by occupation 60-64 year olds, LFS 2018

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

Managers

Professionals

Technicians & Assoc. Profess.

Clerical

Service & Sales

Skilled Agriculture

Craft workers

Machine Operators

Elementary occupations

All

Employees

All Employed


Early exit

• Aged 55-59 years when they left work

• Select respondents out of work for at least a year to reduce chance that exit is not temporary

• Refer to the occupation and industry of their last job


Reason for early exit (%), LFS 2018

18

7

19

3

53

Jobloss Family care Illness ordisability

Other reasons Retirement


Odds of leaving due to “illness or disability” vs “early retirement”, LFS 2018

3.01

1.74

13.1

21.24

20.43

1 10 100

Technicians

Clerical workers

Service workers

Craft & Agriculture

Plant operatives & Elementary

Re

f: M

anag

er/p

rofe

ssio

nal

s

Log-scale, odds ratio


Odds of leaving due to “job loss” vs “early retirement”, LFS 2018

2.42

3.15

8.35

14.05

9.74

1 10 100

Technicians

Clerical workers

Service workers

Craft & Agriculture

Plant operatives & Elementaryworkers

Ref

: Man

ager

/pro

fess

ion

als


Older workers & fatality risks


Age composition of victims of fatal injuries (%), HSA (2004-2017)

60

86

21

12192

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Total fatalities Total workforce

Less than 55 55–64 years 65+ years


Age composition of fatal injuries by high-risk sectors (N), HSA 2004-2017

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

65 plus

55-64

Under 55


Grouped Logistic Regression of Fatalities, HSA 2004-2017

0.99

1.81

3.57

30.76

5.25

14.46

9.38

1.73

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Year

Workers aged 55 to 64

Workers aged 65+

Agriculture

Industry

Construction

Transport

Wholesale/Retail

Year

Wo

rker

su

nd

er 5

5(R

ef)

Oth

er (

Ref

)


Summary (1)

• Share of older workers of the total workforce increased.

• On most indicators, have equal or better working conditions than younger worker groups, but evidence of long working hours for some older male workers (and more temp employment, not shown)

• Selection effects likely: those with poorest working conditions and health already exited

• Retention of older workers has improved, but there are sectoral differences in retention

• Employee retention highest in admin services (white collar, secure)


Summary (2)

• Occupations: lowest retention at top and bottom of scale elementary and professional. Different reasons for early exit.

• Elementary (+ other manual) workers more likely to exit due to illness or job loss. Professional/managers due to early retirement

• 1 in 5 early exits due to illness/disability, another 1 in 5 to job loss, 1 in 17 due to family care.

• For workers of all ages work-life balance, less physical demands, and absence of H&S risk increases perceived job longevity

• Suggests need for policies to support retention – flexibility, accommodation, caring support, and prevention of health/safety risks throughout working life.

• Pensions/welfare also important but beyond scope of study.


Summary (3)

• Fatalities at work are uncommon but older workers have higher odds of fatality when compared to younger workers even within sectors.

• Need to target protection and prevention.


Thank you!

Full report available to download at

www.esri.ie and www.hsa.ie

http://www.esri.ie/

http://www.hsa.ie/


extras


Share of workers in Night Work by age (%), LFS 2018

16

15 15

10

6 6

Under 55 55-64 65 plus

Age

Men

Women


Employees in Temporary Contracts by Age (2018)

9.96

7.63

19.45

11.14

6.33

14.34

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

Under 55 55-64 65 plus

Shar

e o

f em

plo

yed

Age

MEN

WOMEN

the ageing workforce in ireland: working conditions ... · 13 @@esridublin...

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