Taylor, Philip

The positive management of an ageing workforce presents a new, if necessary, challenge to governments, employers and to workers themselves in the European Union. This report provides illustration and analysis of more than 150 initiatives in favour of the retention, retraining and reintegration of older workers. It is intended as a practical tool for all those concerned with developing practice or supportive policies to combat age barriers in employment.

This report looks at the evolution of initiatives related to older employees undertaken by selected organisations (case studies) in the United Kingdom over the last decade. It reviews the following points: main impacts of measures/initiatives at the company level; driving forces for implementing good practice at the company level; characteristics of particularly successful measures/policies; key lessons that can be drawn from implementing measures and initiatives; future issues concerning age-management raised at company level; development of national policy concerning an ageing workforce; relevant actions of social partners and other key actors: policies and practices; and, finally, the status of the issue of older workers in current policy and public debates: identification of future issues.

Effective action to improve the employment conditions of older workers involves government policies at different levels, the social partners and social dialogue, organisations and companies and, of course, older workers themselves. Within companies in the EU15, policies and practices designed to improve opportunities for older workers and to extend working life have developed significantly over the last decade.

The report, on which this summary is based, examines the experience of companies that have been long-standing examples of good practice in age management and analyses the drivers and outcomes of workplace developments over the last decade. Effective action to improve the employment conditions of older workers involves government policies at different levels, the social partners and social dialogue, organisations and companies and, of course, older workers themselves. Within companies in the EU15, policies and practices designed to improve opportunities for older workers and to extend working life have developed significantly over the last decade.

This working paper consists of examples of good practice in combating age barriers in employment in a variety of European countries. Its primary intention is to inform the debate in Europe about age and employment by providing practical examples of how 'different' private and public organisations have set about trying to minimise the impact of age barriers in job recruitment and training.