| Abstrakt: |
Over the past decades, life expectancy in OECD countries has increased strongly, a fact that is obviously beneficial for OECD citizens. However, combined with decreasing birth rates this development has led to the well-known problem of population ageing. Sustainability of pension systems, and – linked to this problem – the employability of older workers, are issues that need to be dealt with in the years to come. Germany is no exception: the Statistisches Bundesamt has estimated that by 2050, 40 % (10 percentage points more than currently) of the working-age population will be 50 to 64 years old (Statistisches Bundesamt, 2006). While increases in the official retirement age have already been introduced, firms still often prefer younger workers over older ones, especially in recruitment (see for example Eichhorst, 2006; Heywood et al., 2008). One of the main problems in German labour markets is early exit. Participation rates decline rapidly after the age of 60, dropping to 25 % for men at an age of 63 and to 10 % for women (OECD, 2005). Moreover, not only are the labour-force participation rates of those between 55 and 64 lower, but the unemployment and long term unemployment rates in that age group are also higher than on average. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
