Oberholzner, Thomas

Over the last decade, Foundation research has examined effective ways of promoting the participation of older workers in the labour market, to enhance their contribution and productivity, and prevent their early exit and unemployment. This report extends the research to the new Member States and the acceding countries. It documents a range of almost 30 case examples from the new Member States, and from Bulgaria and Romania, which have implemented successful age management initiatives.

The Foundation project 'Promoting quality of life in rural Europe' aimed at documenting the relationship between social capital and economic development, with a specific focus on job creation in rural areas. The research set out to identify examples of how local and regional authorities, social partners and NGOs in selected countries developed initiatives to foster job creation and make policy recommendations at local, regional, national and EU level on the basis of these findings. This report outlines the policy background to the research and makes a number of policy recommendations in terms of good practice in promoting job creation in rural areas. The research covered 10 countries.

The profound changes experienced by rural areas in Europe over the past couple of decades have resulted in obvious disadvantages: loss of employment due to changes in the agricultural sector, migration of young people towards urban centres, leading to a demographic imbalance, and insufficient population and infrastructural density to support economic development and entrepreneurial activity. However, one resource that rural areas may be able to draw upon is their ‘social capital’: the interaction of individuals participating and communicating in formal or informal networks in which higher levels of trust develop. It has been recognised that social capital can play a role in stimulating and fostering entrepreneurial activity, and hence facilitate job creation.

The report, on which this summary is based, aims to: gain a better understanding of the perspectives of governments, social partners and the wider public with regard to improving the employment situation of older workers and extending working life; document the development of the measures and policies of social partners and governments – for instance, relating to the labour market, social protection, taxation, training and work environment; identify and present examples of organisation-level initiatives designed to foster active ageing e.g. in recruitment, training, health and job design; draw conclusions and provide guidance for future strategies in the field of age management.