This is the conclusion of the new knowledge review Ageism and Age Discrimination in Later Working Life, published by the Swedish research council Forte at the request of the government. The review summarises and evaluates current research in the field.
Maria Landqvist
鈥淭he most important conclusion is that ageism in later working life is a real structural barrier, not just a problem of attitudes. Sweden has raised pension ages and has limited routes into early exit, which rests on an implicit assumption that the labour market is open to older people. The research suggests that this assumption simply does not hold.鈥�
So says Andreas Motel-Klingebiel, Professor of Ageing and Later Life. Together with Charlotte W氓hlin, Adjunct Associate Professor in Occupational Medicine, he produced the review. Both research at Link枚ping University and are involved in the research centre RELATE, which focuses on return to work after employment breaks in late working life.
Older applicants receive fewer responses
The strongest evidence identified in the review relates to recruitment.
鈥淥lder applicants receive some 30鈥�50 per cent fewer responses than otherwise similar younger ones. And the disadvantage grows with age,鈥� says Andreas Motel-Klingebiel.
The clearest barriers are faced by people who need a new job later in their working lives and those attempting to return to work after, for example, a period of sickness absence.
Older workers also appear to have poorer access to training and promotion. During organisational restructuring, there may also be informal pressure on older employees to leave the workplace.
People with lower levels of education, older women, migrants and those in physically demanding occupations seem to be affected most severely. By contrast, highly educated people with uninterrupted career paths often have better prospects of remaining in work after the age of 60.
Major knowledge gap regarding Sweden
The researchers reviewed Swedish and international studies on age discrimination among people aged around 55 and above. Two findings surprised them most.
"It is striking how little we know specifically about Sweden. The ambition to extend working lives is clear, yet the Swedish evidence on what stands in its way is surprisingly thin. Much of what we know comes from elsewhere and cannot simply be transferred,鈥� says Andreas Motel-Klingebiel.
The researchers also identified a gap between words and actions.
鈥淢anagers often judge older people to perform as well as younger ones. But they still hesitate to invite them for interview, let alone recruit them. Obviously, awareness training does not simply change behaviour and structures,鈥� he says.
鈥淭here are possibilities for many, but on unequal terms. In the Swedish debate about what older people can, want and have the energy to do, the focus is often on the individual. But the review shows that it is equally a question of whether they are let into the labour market. Many older people want to continue working but are not given the chance,鈥� says Charlotte W氓hlin.
They were also asked what conclusion Swedish policymakers should draw from the review.
鈥淔or policymakers, the conclusion may be easy: those who raise age limits must also help to open up the labour market and contribute to strengthening pathways back into work after breaks,鈥� says Andreas Motel-Klingebiel.
The review highlights a substantial need for more research on Swedish conditions. Among other things, the researchers call for greater knowledge about pathways back to work after sickness absence, unemployment and care-related breaks, as well as how age discrimination intersects with gender, education and migration background.
