A study combining relevant data of different surveys reveals that health indicators for older people in Estonia are relatively poor. However, absenteeism is not higher among older workers, and they are also more content with their working conditions.
A 2004 study, Older workers in the labour market and in working life (500Kb pdf; in Estonian), evaluates the work ability and employability of older workers (over 45 years old) in the Estonian labour market. Work ability is defined by Juhani Ilmarinen (1999) as a set of personal resources (education, health, motivation, professional skills, etc), and employability as a person’s capacity to realise work ability. Employability also depends on national employment and social policies, and determines the actual employment and position of older workers in the labour market.
The study combines results relating to older workers from different surveys and data sources, for example: Estonian Labour Force Surveys (LFS) from the Estonian Statistics Office, the Working Life Barometer in the Baltic Countries (10Mb pdf) carried out by the Finnish Ministry of Labour, the Health Behaviour Survey among the Estonian adult population conducted by the Estonian Centre for Health Education and Promotion, the Survey of Living Conditions in the Baltic Countries (NORBALT), and the European Working Conditions Survey by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions.
In general, the employment rate of older workers (51.5% in 2002 among the 55-64 age group, according to the LFS) is lower than the average rate for the total workforce aged 15-64, but exceeds the EU target of 50% for older workers by 2010. Both the participation and employment rates of older people have grown as a result of changes in the pension system. However, there is polarisation among older workers. In 2004, more than half of older workers retired before the official retirement age, which is 63 years for men and 59 for women (Leetmaa et al, 2004, p. 33). The state pension system does not encourage people to continue to work once they take early retirement, as they are not eligible for their pension benefits if they are earning additional income. This contrasts with the situation for those retiring at or after the official retirement age: their pensions are not affected if they continue to work.
Health indicators
Objective health indicators for older people are not good in Estonia and worse for men than women. Men have relatively more long-term illnesses, although the differences between genders are not perceptible for serious health disorders. Life expectancy for people aged 45 years is among the lowest in Europe for both genders. In the 65-69 year age group, the average death rate in the EU is 8.83%, but 27.24% in Estonia. Some 10% of people aged 50-54 have a medically diagnosed long-term illness or disability. Almost a third (30%) of people in the same age group suffer from a less serious health disorder. Less than half of people aged 45 or over, who suffer from a health disorder, are working. Illness or disability restricts both the volume and nature of work. Nonetheless, despite poor health indicators, there seems to be no evident difference in short-term absenteeism due to illness between older and younger workers.
A positive finding is that the majority of older workers are satisfied with their job. The Working Life Barometer confirms that work satisfaction in Estonia is not different according to gender or age. Over 80% of workers are satisfied with their work, and satisfaction with particular elements of work (such as physical and mental stress, impact on health, and wages) is even higher among older people. These high rates of satisfaction indicate that people find their work appropriate to their abilities.
Older people have less contact with different risk factors arising from the working environment (see Table below), and they have less physical work demands than young people. In addition, older workers work less with information technology.
Contact with different risk sources, 2001 (%)
Contact with different risk sources, 2001 (%) | Source of risk | Age group | Contact during working time |
| Three quarters of time or more | Quarter or half of time | Never or almost never | Do not know |
| Vibration | Less than 45 years | 22.6 | 14.6 | 60.8 | 2.0 |
| 45 years | 18.7 | 12.3 | 66.1 | 2.8 |
| Noise | Less than 45 years | 21.2 | 20.7 | 56.8 | 1.4 |
| 45 years | 17.9 | 13.7 | 67.4 | 1.0 |
| High temperature | Less than 45 years | 7.2 | 8.6 | 82.7 | 1.5 |
| 45 years | 3.9 | 8.6 | 86.4 | 1.1 |
| Low temperature | Less than 45 years | 5.7 | 21.6 | 71.1 | 1.5 |
| 45 years | 6.8 | 23.5 | 69.2 | 0.5 |
| Air contamination | Less than 45 years | 23.1 | 14.5 | 61.7 | 0.7 |
| 45 years | 17.7 | 13.0 | 68.5 | 0.8 |
| Dangerous substances | Less than 45 years | 5.8 | 8.3 | 84.9 | 0.9 |
| 45 years | 4.9 | 8.5 | 85.4 | 1.2 |
| Radiation | Less than 45 years | 2.8 | 2.9 | 93.6 | 0.8 |
| 45 years | 3.4 | 4.1 | 91.5 | 1.0 |
Source: European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, 2003; Leetmaa, Võrk and Kallaste, 2004
Data from 1999 reveal that older people have to carry fewer heavy objects, work less in uncomfortable or unnatural positions, and do not have to engage in repetitive movements as much while working. Pain and physical stress caused by overloading of joints is felt almost equally among people aged below and over 50. Thus, working conditions must be better for older workers.
It seems, therefore, that, despite poor health indicators, the people who have remained in the labour market have work ability comparable to that of younger people. Although they have poorer health and education, their capacity corresponds to the less onerous tasks they have to perform. As the proportion of older workers is expected to increase considerably in the future, the study suggests that it is important to pay more attention to the health and working environment of today’s young people in order to maintain their work ability as they grow old.
References
Leetmaa, R., Võrk, A. and Kallaste, E., Vanemaealine tööjõud tööturul ja tööelus. Poliitikauuringute Keskus , PRAXIS 2004.
Ilmarinen, J., Ageing workers in the European Union - Status and promotion of work ability, employability and employment , Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, 1999.
Further EU level research is available on the Foundation’s website concerning ageing and health and well-being in the workplace.