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Dealing with older workers in Europe: a comparative survey of employers' attitudes and actions

Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI) and CentER, Tilburg University, The Netherlands

Kène Henkens

NIDI, The Netherlands, Henkens{at}nidi.nl

Joop Schippers

University of Utrecht, The Netherlands

This article addresses employers' attitudes and actions regarding the position of older workers. A comparative survey among employers from four European countries — Greece, Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom — is used to examine their expectations with respect to the ageing of the workforce, the productivity of older workers and their recruitment and retention behaviour regarding this cohort. The results show that in spite of the perceived challenges ahead (including the ageing workforce), employers take no substantial measures to retain and recruit older workers or improve their productivity. Only employers in the United Kingdom seem to recognize older workers as a valuable source of labour supply and act accordingly.

Key Words: ageing • older workers • retirement • social policy • stereotypes

Journal of European Social Policy, Vol. 19, No. 1, 47-60 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0958928708098523


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