• Areas of Expertise:
  • Business and society
  • Diversity
  • Employment status
  • Gender
  • Health
  • Human capital
  • Industrial change
  • Industrial relations
  • Labour market
  • Participation at work
  • Population and society
  • Quality of life
  • Quality of work
  • Social cohesion
  • Social protection
  • Time
  • Work-life balance
  • Work organisation

EU day of solidarity between generations, 2012

The European Day of Solidarity between Generations is celebrated each year on 29 April. Eurofound contributes to the awareness-raising campaign on how to rethink the concept of solidarity between generations, and to promote active ageing, by presenting its most recent findings and policy pointers in this area.

Company initiatives for workers with care responsibilities for disabled children or adults
This report presents the results of Eurofound’s work on company initiatives for workers with care responsibilities for disabled children or adults. The research focused on initiatives that employers can take to support the needs of workers who have (informal) care responsibilities, including parents caring for children with disabilities and carers of adults who need care because of disability, illness or old age. Search the database.

Active inclusion of young people with health problems or disabilities
This study examines the situation of young people with health problems or disabilities in 11 countries (Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom) and at EU level, with an emphasis on assessing the implementation of active inclusion policy at national level. Read more on this topic.

Impact of the recession on age management policies
The study looked at policy in relation to the retention of older workers (aged 50 or more) in employment at national and establishment levels in nine European Union (EU) Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Read more on this project.

Responding to an ageing workforce: Experiences of 50+ jobseekers
In the UK, abolition of the default retirement age and a rise in state pension age are expected to lead to longer working lives. Three additional support mechanisms for jobseekers aged over 50 were introduced in April 2010 through Jobcentre Plus. A report by the Department for Work and Pensions on the experience of 50+ jobseekers who had been offered this support revealed strong demand for and a positive response to these specific measures but questioned their effectiveness.

Educated and healthy older people are more active
A recent study in Estonia investigated how educational achievement affected the lives of older people aged 50–74, particularly their financial situation and their health. The results showed that the more educated a person is, the better their health and the more actively they take part in different areas of life, and the more ready they are to continue working after retirement age. It was also revealed that a person’s interest in continuing to work grows as they get older.

Eurobarometer survey examines active ageing
A new Eurobarometer survey examined active ageing in the EU, including attitudes to the workplace, career end and pensions. Barriers to older workers functioning in the labour market included a lack of training, a lack of flexibility to reduce working hours, and negative perceptions on the part of employers. The overall view was that the retirement age should be equal for men and women, but that individuals should be allowed to work beyond retirement age if they wished.