Older workers and career management skills

1. Older workers andcareer management skills Dr Lyn Barham NICEC, UK er management skills Older workers and career management skills

2. Overview Demographics and workforce Policy responses The subjective experience of career Career development needs Response from the profession Older workers and career management skills

3. UK 1971

4. UK 1991

5. UK 2011

6. UK 2024

7. Canada – population trend Canadian population: 33.7 million in 2009. According to the medium-growth scenario, the Canadian population would reach  43.8 million by 2036 and 52.6 million by 2061 Migratory increase would be the main driver of population growth in all scenarios. [Source: Statistics Canada] Older workers and career management skills

8. Canada – workforce [1] According to all selected scenarios, the number of people aged 65 years or over would surpass the number of children aged less than 14 years or under. This shift, a first in the history of the Canadian population, would occur between 2015 and 2021. [Source: Statistics Canada] Older workers and career management skills

9. Canada – workforce [2] According to all selected scenarios, the proportion that represents the working-age population among the total population would decrease progressively up to 2036 to reach about 60% and would then remain fairly stable. In 2009, the proportion that represents the working-age population was 69%. In 2009, for every 100 people in the working-age population, there were 24 children aged 14 years or under and 20 people aged 65 years or over. According to the medium-growth scenario, there would be 26 children and 39 seniors per 100 working-age people in 2036. [Source: Statistics Canada] Older workers and career management skills

10. Population projections, EU-27 (% of total population)[Source: Eurostat (proj_tbp_pop)]

11. Ageing in the 21st Century: a celebration and a challenge. (UNFPA, 2012) Rapidly and surely the world is getting older. … The number and proportion of older persons is growing faster than any other age group, and will surpass 1 billion people in less the 10 years. Ageing is now occurring fastest in the developing world, which has limited resources and plans to deal with this unprecedented demographic trend. Older workers and career management skills

12. Ageing in the 21st Century: a celebration and a challenge. (UNFPA, 2012) The older generation -- which includes caregivers, voters, teachers, volunteers, entrepreneurs, leaders, and more – represents a growing reservoir of talent and experience that can be tapped to reap a 'longevity dividend'. This new report calls for new approaches to dealing with healthcare, workforce and retirement issues, living arrangements and intergenerational relations. This will help countries to harness the potential benefits and minimize the disruption that ageing will bring. Older workers and career management skills

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19. Population change: Declining birth rate Increasing longevity Migration Which of these have impact in your country? Older workers and career management skills

20. Policy concerns Extending working life is a public policy issue: • Skills: UK prediction of 13 million vacancies in next decade, and 8 million young entrants (UKCES, 2008) • Pension costs: Limiting state pension expenditure [UK pension ages of 60 (f) and 65 (m) equalising at 65 in 2018, then progressively rising together to age 68 in 2046]. Older workers and career management skills Enhancing the value of age

21. Responses: Participation rates (age/gender) Extending working lives; raising pension age Immigration Re-thinking work and workforce Policy responses in your country? Older workers and career management skills

22. Internationally …. “The nature of the final phases of the work-life span is evolving as workers live longer, remain healthier, and face economic challenges that require them to continue working beyond the statutory retirement age.” Truxillo and Fraccaroli (2013) Older workers and career management skills

23. In the UK … “Workplace (is) greying as companies turn to older employees. For first time there are now more than 1 million workers in UK aged over 65” “… now 29.76 million people in employment ….. Of these, 1,030,000 were over 65, up by 38,000 on the quarter and by 96,000 on the February-to-April period of 2012” The Guardian, 13 June 2013 Older workers and career management skills

24. What is ‘age’? Age as a social construct Deficit view of ageing? Age as opportunity? Aspects of ageing Chronological age – least informative Biological age – deterioration Socio-cultural ageing: society’s expectations Psychological ageing: changes in ability, memory, attitude Older workers and career management skills

25. From: Withnall (2008) … it was sadly the case that older people were more likely to be seen as a burden on health and social services than as potential learners and contributors to society with many years of life ahead of them. … (the) multiplicity of influences over the collective and individual life course appears to operate in an inter-related but highly complex manner within a constantly changing and evolving social and cultural context. Older workers and career management skills

26. Social construction … and change(following Withnall, 2008) Individual Dislocation and change Situational Institutional

27. Bourdieu Habitus Disposition: capacities and capabilities; personal values Capitals: social, cultural and economic Field Position, amongst circumstances and structures Other players Older workers and career management skills

28. Hodkinson: Careership Decisions Actual career decision-making is not rational in an abstract, logical way, but is pragmatically rational Career progression Career progression is often non-linear and is strongly influenced by actions, events and circumstances that lay beyond the control of the (young) person Older workers and career management skills

29. Hodkinson: Careership theory Careership adds to Bourdieu’s concepts three further constructs specific to its area of concern with careers: horizons for action pragmatically rational career decision-making routines and turning points Older workers and career management skills

30. ‘Life design’ in later working life Savickas et al. (2009) pose a life design question: ‘What am I going to make of my life?’ They emphasise ‘how to do’ over ‘what to do’ Both questions apply towards the end of working life, but the framing is different. Who do I want be now? (Hawthorn, 2007) How do I make the next transition? Older workers and career management skills

31. What’s different in later working life? Future time perspective Respect for experience; the psychological contract of employment Generativity Older workers and career management skills

32. “what matters for older workers” • ‘what matters’ to them. What are their concerns? • ‘what matters’ in the sense of what it is important to offer them from people supporting their continued earning and learning career. Older workers and career management skills Enhancing the value of age Enhancing the value of age

33. People in their fifties vary hugely in terms of their work situation, their expectations, their attitudes to work, their financial position, their health and their personal lives. Many difficulties, which they encounter, stem not from an inability to face up to the trade-off between income and leisure in later life, but from a lack of choice and control. (Philipson and Smith, 2005) Older workers and career management skills Enhancing the value of age

34. Aspects of motivation to continue in work Working key to emotional wellbeing Working not key to emotional wellbeing Working key to financial wellbeing Working not key to financial wellbeing NZ Dept of Labour (2006) Older workers and career management skills Enhancing the value of age

35. Social and intrinsic work values Individual differences outweigh the commonality of age, but a strong shift: • away from building work identity or seeking hierarchical and financial advancement • instead, a belief that there is more to life than work, and a greater unwillingness to compromise core values, especially those related to family • generativity, in many forms but all evincing care for people, things or ideas Older workers and career management skills Enhancing the value of age

36. Time • Time horizons change over the life course • ‘Time’ emerged as an (unforeseen) theme • Time is valued; not to be ‘wasted’ • Money is little compensation for wasted time • ‘Future time perspective’ affects orientation to values, particularly family • Employers and career advisers need awareness of perspectives about time Older workers and career management skills Enhancing the value of age

37. Generativity - care ‘Care’ is a central aspect of generativity To care about To care for To be careful ‘…fashioning legacies of care that will survive them’ (Vantilborgh et al., 2012) Older workers and career management skills

38. Generativity Forms of generativity: Productivity Nurturance - interpersonal Nurturance - societal care Leadership Clark and Arnold (2008) Older workers and career management skills

39. Generativity relates to: • Productivity: passing on skills, standards, ‘folk history’ of the organisation/profession • Nurturance: help others achieve skill, standards and understanding *** not mentoring schemes *** “the contribution inherent in the substance of their role would remain their most important source of intrinsic satisfaction” (Clark and Arnold, 2010) “to be recognised for their life experience” (Barham, 2008) Older workers and career management skills Enhancing the value of age

40. Generativity in men’s work-related life goals: quotations collected by Clark and Arnold (2010) “I typically try to... • make it easier for my staff to work and enjoy it. • ensure my experience is used to help work tasks become successful, this making work rewarding/satisfying. • offer support to the people I work with – to lend an ear if needed. • lead by example at work. • develop new processes and procedures to improve the business. • never ‘walk past’ an issue or problem I see at work. • pursue opportunities to apply my ideas to benefit society. • organise my parish so that everyone’s talents have the opportunity to shine. • improve my own skills to improve my service to others. • find a solution to problems.” Older workers and career management skills Enhancing the value of age

41. “Organisations need … to welcome, facilitate and reward older workers’ generative contribution to mainstream activities” through formal policies and through active interventions by managers (Clark and Arnold, 2010) Career guidance services need to engage deeply with individual motivations, including forms of generativity(Barham, 2008) At recruitment, employers need to recruit for ongoing potential, not just for the tasks of a specific vacancy Older workers and career management skills Enhancing the value of age

42. Messages for career counselling Pay attention to Life experiences Life circumstances Time and generativity concerns Transition to ….. Older workers and career management skills

43. Retirement As a process … … not an event Retirement as a self-managed process over a period of time produces better outcomes through to oldest age in terms of physical, social and financial well-being. Older workers and career management skills

44. Not ‘when’ but ‘how’ to retire • Phased retirement – a ‘process’ not an ‘event’ • Self-managed, with support • Inter-linking financial, social and intrinsic work satisfactions • Produces better social, health and financial outcomes into oldest age. Older workers and career management skills Enhancing the value of age

45. Financial advice • Poor links between advice for financial planning and advice about employment • Policy and PES focus on the move from out-of-work benefits to pension income • Frequently an assumption from career advisers that pension income ‘solves’ the problem • Financial advice may be a regulated activity (eg. UK), so actions by career advisers are limited Older workers and career management skills Enhancing the value of age

46. Agenda: guidance services • Develop conceptual frameworks about the later stages of career • Respect individuality within common trends • Consider methods of initial engagement (publicity, staff, premises and delivery modes) • Training and development need for staff Older workers and career management skills Enhancing the value of age

47. Agenda: employers • Value experience • Harness generativity; identify useful contributions • Recognise development potential of older workers • Enable retirement as a process • Extend role as a trusted source of support Older workers and career management skills Enhancing the value of age

48. Age management strategiesfollowing Plant (2012) Individual:focusonindividuals, onworkingability, health, well-being, social relationships, and the contributionthatolderworkerscanmake to companies Collective:developedthroughcollectivenegotiationsbetween unions and employers Organisational:focuson retention of competence and labour, knowledge transfer, changes in work organisation and working time Societalstrategies:developed by governments. Onactiveageing, improvedhealth/well-being, reducedcosts for pensions, and welfare services. Older workers and career management skills

49. Take off and flight mode Older workers and career management skills Enhancing the value of age

50. Preparing to touch down Older workers and career management skills Enhancing the value of age