Eldre arbeidstakere og virksomheters håndtering av pensjonsalder og aldersgrense

Policies encouraging an extended working life are a major feature of public policies across most OECD countries. One measure is to increase the mandatory retirement age (MRA), which was recently done in Norway. The change (from age 70 to 72), introduced in 2015, was controversial and opinions regarding the consequences were manifold, but mostly based on assumptions. As the increase represents a substantial labour market reform, there is a need for more knowledge about possible consequences, both positive and negative, intended and unintended. The main objective of ExitAge is to increase the knowledge about the oldest workers, and about how companies handle work exit and MRA. Such knowledge is essential for companies in order to acquire competence on how to manage the challenges and possibilities of an older workforce. Several of the assumptions regarding the consequences of the new MRA concerns perceptions of older workers. The articles «67+ and still working» and «Older workers - tiredness and work exit» contribute to increased knowledge about the oldest age groups in the labour market. The former concludes that the majority of workers 67 years and older seem to remain because they enjoy working. Compared to their peers who had retired by 2017, they were more likely to consider work as very important in life and to work long hours (41+ per week) a decade earlier. As for retirement plans, the majority of the 67+ workers had planned for a late exit or had not made any plans. The second article shows that many older workers have a considerable amount of energy, and significantly more compared to workers in their forties and fifties. This finding differs from descriptions of older employees (reported by managers in in-depth interviews) as tired. Managers also used tiredness to explain why many seniors retire several years before they reach MRA, whereas analyses based on NorLAG data show no correlation between tiredness and work exit among workers aged 60-67. The findings are in line with a review of research on age and work performance. Here, we concluded that older workers, on average, perform as good as younger workers. Thus, age in itself does not seem to weaken the possibilities for good work performance significantly. However, type of job is important. Higher age may be a disadvantage for physically demanding jobs or for jobs with high time pressure, but the experiences and the expertise of older workers may then compensate for possible physical limitations. The article «Workplace perceptions of older workers and implications for job retention» addresses perceptions of older employees among managers. It is often assumed that such perceptions are largely based on stereotypes. However, findings from the in-depth interviews indicate that specific experiences are important. Older employees are viewed as a heterogeneous group, which may lead to ambivalence towards older workers as a group, and also in how to handle them individually. Such ambivalence is also addressed in the article «When older workers behave as their own enemies». In some companies, there is a great need of older workers' technical skills and competences. At the same time, older employees are seen as strong defenders of a subculture that is against organisational changes, which creates a paradoxical situation. On the one hand, the companies would like to take advantage of their skills, on the other, some fear that keeping them may constitute a risk for the companies' future. Survey data confirm managers' perceptions of older workers' restructuring capacity. Only 5% perceive the oldest employees as "very good" at adapting to organisational restructuring. On the other hand, the oldest workers are perceived as very responsible employees with high expertise and low work absence. Managers with employees aged 67 and older are far more positive in their perceptions compared to managers without employees in this age group. The article «Does raised mandatory retirement age influence managers' attitudes to older workers?» addresses some of the concerns regarding the new MRA. The analyses, based on quantitative and qualitative data from managers, show that the majority is indifferent or neutral to the reform. They are not particularly enthusiastic, yet they seem less opposed to the reform compared to the clear disapproval expressed by the employers' federations. We find no sign of a growing reluctance to hire senior workers. Although some managers have become more hesitant after the raise in MRA, the majority reported no change in their desire to hire workers in this age group. Neither do we find any strong indication of an increased risk of disgraceful work exits due to the new MRA. Only a few managers (13%) reported experiences with unprofitable older employees wanting to remain despite the companies' eagerness for them to retire. A greater share (42%) reported that the raise in MRA has provided better opportunities to retain older employees.

Prosjektet har medført økt kompetanse blant de involverte forskerne både innenfor temaet arbeid og pensjonering og når det gjelder samarbeid med brukere av forskningen. Funn fra prosjektet bidrar til å frembringe ny kunnskap om hvem de eldste yrkesaktive er og om praksisen som utøves og holdninger som ligger til grunn for handlinger i virksomhetene. Forskningsbasert kunnskap om de eldste seniorene og om hvordan arbeidsgivere forholder seg til disse og til endringer i aldersgrenselovgivningen, vil gi både myndigheter og partene i arbeidslivet et bedre grunnlag for å definere og konkretisere utfordringer og muligheter, samt målrette innretningen i nye seniorpolitiske strategier. Senter for seniorpolitikk har benyttet og vil fortsette å benytte seg aktivt av prosjektresultatene i sitt arbeid, både når det gjelder å videreutvikle veiledningstjenester til ledere, HR-medarbeidere og tillitsvalgte og når det gjelder formidling av forskningsbasert kunnskap til samfunnet forøvrig.

Hvordan man kan få eldre arbeidstakere til å stå lenger i arbeid er et sentralt spørsmål i tiden fremover, der en stadig mindre andel av befolkningen vil måtte bære kostnadene knyttet til finansiering av velferdsstaten. Et virkemiddel er å heve aldersgrensen, noe den norske regjeringen har gjort med virkning fra 1. juli 2015. Endringen er kontroversiell, og oppfatningene om konsekvensene for virksomhetene og for arbeidstakerne er mange og sprikende, og de bygger hovedsakelig på antakelser. Heving av aldergrensen representerer en betydelig arbeidslivsreform og det er behov for kunnskap om eventuelle konsekvenser, både positive og negative, tilsiktete og utilsiktete, av en slik endring. Prosjektet ExitAge dreier seg om å få kunnskap om de eldste i arbeidslivet og om hvordan virksomheter forholder seg til hevet aldersgrense og til de eldste arbeidstakerne. En slik kunnskap er nødvendig for å etablere kompetanse i virksomhetene om hvordan de best kan forholde seg til de utfordringer og muligheter som økt aldersgrense og en eldre arbeidstokk kan føre med seg. Data vil innhentes gjennom tre kilder: 1.) surveyundersøkelse av ledere, 2.) dybdeintervjuer med ledere, samt 3.) informasjon om eldre arbeidstakere fra den longitudinelle studien NorLAG (Den norske studien av livsløp, aldring og generasjon). Prosjektet er et samarbeid mellom forskningsinstituttene NOVA og AFI med brukermedvirkning fra Senter for seniorpolitikk (SSP) og Arbeids- og velferdsdirektoratet (NAV). Øvrige samarbeidsrelasjoner inkluderer nasjonale og internasjonale eksperter som vil delta i prosjektets ressursgruppe.