Age Can Work: a case for older Australians

By CPD News

The trend in favour of younger workers at the expense of mature workers has become a major headache for policy makers, unions and employers.

Professor Sol Encel has completed a review of policy choices confronting Australia and other industrialised countries for the ACTU and the BCA.

Continuing low levels of labour market participation amongst mature aged workers are exacerbating the effects of an aging population. Extending the average working life of workers can reduce government expenditures and increase tax revenues. The report does not have much information of the work preferences of older workers.

The participation rates of workers 55-64 years of age are just over 50%, an increase over the past 20 years because of increased female participation. Older workers are more than twice as likely to be long-term unemployed.

The report looks at discrimination against older workers, incentives that are put in place for early retirement, current government policies in the labour market and welfare areas, and makes proposals to improve labour market outcomes for older workers.

(Thomson CPD. Workplace Intelligence, May 2003)