WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE LLP – ERASMUS IP PROGRAMME OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

How to maintain sustainable performance for elder people

Names: Minna Pulla, Finland, Clio Santori, Italy, Kai-Uwe Daebel, Germany, Sergi Corominas Bach, Spain, Stefanie Montes Babiloni, Belgium, Robert

Fidder, The Netherlands and Daiva, Damkuté, Lithuania

Academic Year 2008-2009

2

“Wewouldliketothankalltheteachersandcoacheswhohavehelpedustocarryout

thisproject.WearesincerelygratefultoErşanAYGÜL,TurkishErasmusstudentin

Lithuania,whohelpeduswiththeexecutionofthisstudy.Specialthanksbelongtothe

KaunoKollegijaandthepersonnelwhoorganizedtheIPdaysinLithuania.Despitethe

epidemicoffluthetwoweeksweremorethanweexpectedandweespeciallyvaluethe

newlifelongfriendshipswegainedduringthisinternationalproject.”

WithBestRegards:

Minna,Clio,Kai‐Uwe,Sergi,Stefanie,RobertandDaiva

3

Tableofcontents

1. Introduction .............................................................................................................. 42. Guidelines................................................................................................................... 53. Lawperspective ...................................................................................................... 63.1 Europeanlevel.........................................................................................................................63.2 NationalLevel ..........................................................................................................................8

4 BusinessPerspective...........................................................................................134.1 InternationalPerspective ................................................................................................134.2 Nationallevel .......................................................................................................................14

5 HumanResourceperspective..........................................................................185.1 HumanResourceManagement ....................................................................................185.2 Europeanperspective .......................................................................................................205.3 Nationalperspective.........................................................................................................205.4 Microperspective................................................................................................................23

7.Conclusions ................................................................................................................268.Recommendations...................................................................................................289.ReferenceList............................................................................................................33Appendixes......................................................................................................................34

4

1. Introduction The Erasmus project Implementation on the Labor Market of Lisbon Strategy is an

internationalprojectincludingstudentsandcoachesfromFinland,Germany,Belgium,

Lithuania, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands. The goal of the project is to enhance

students’knowledgeonLisbonStrategysignedupbytheEuropeanCouncil inMarch

2000 and to do a follow‐up study on each country on their implementation of the

guidelines18and19of theStrategy, toexamine theproblemsandsuggest ideason

howtoimprovethesituationofelderpeopleonthelabourmarket.

TheobjectiveoftheLisbonStrategyistoconcentrateonmakingEuropeby2010the

most competitiveand themostdynamic knowledge‐basedeconomy in theworldby

focusing the improvements on fields of economics, social welfare and environment

renewal.

The main issue and research question in this study is simply “How to maintain

sustainableperformance for elderpeople” in thehectic anddemandingworking life

whereyouthseemstobetoday’skeyword?

InthispaperwearegoingtolookhowthemeasurementsoftheLisbonStrategycan

be implementedthroughthreedifferentapproaches.Theexamination isdivided into

the“lawperspective”,the“businessperspective”,meaningtheemployerschallenges

in the current economical situation; and the “human research approach”, which

reflects the employee’s aspect. Each aspect is furthermore examined first on an

European level and then on an national level. This was done to make an overall

comparison of the different nations, leading to final recommendations that will be

adressedtoanEuropean,nationalandeventoacompanylevel.

The research will be based upon the home papers done by each student, on the

discussionduringtheIPinKaunasandalsowillrefertothedocumentsoftheEuropean

Union.

5

2. Guidelines NearlytenyearsafterthecreationoftheStrategyofLisbonbytheEuropeanCouncil,it

istimetocarryouttheprojectexplainedintheintroductionfocusingonthetopicof

employmentofelderlypeopleandtheirsustainableperformance.

Inanattempttoclarifyandunderlinethepreciseobjectivesofthisproject,wewilltry

tomakeanaccuratelistofthemfromtheanalysisoftheguidelines18and19:

- Guideline 18: Ensure inclusive labour markets for job‐seekers and

disadvantaged people through: active and preventive labour market

measures including early identification of needs, job search assistance,

guidanceandtrainingaspartofpersonalisedactionplans,provisionofsocial

servicesnecessarytosupportthelabourmarket inclusionofdisadvantaged

people and contribute to social and territorial cohesion and to the

eradication of poverty; and continuous reviewof tax and benefit systems,

including themanagement and conditionality of benefits and reduction of

highmarginal effective tax rates, with a view tomaking work pay and to

ensuringadequatelevelsofsocialprotection(IntegratedguidelineNo18).

- Guideline 19: Improve matching of labour market needs through: the

modernisation and strengthening of labour market institutions, notably

employment services; greater transparency of employment and training

opportunities at national and European level to facilitate mobility across

Europe; better anticipation of skill needs, labour market shortages and

bottlenecks; appropriate management of economic migration (Integrated

guidelineNo19).

6

Objectivesoftheproject

1) Makeananalysisofthecurrentstateoftheemploymentforelderlypeople.

2) StudyhowthesituationhaschangedduringtherecentyearsintheEU.

3) Makea“legalapproach”tothetopic.

4) Makea“businessapproach”tothetopic.

5) Makea“humanresourceapproach”tothetopic.

6) Arrivetoafinalconclusion

7) SuggestsomerecommendationstoachievetheEuropeanobjectiveofthe

LisbonStrategy.

3. Lawperspective

3.1 Europeanlevel According to the European Commission’s 2006 Annual Report on Growth and Jobs,

“increasing the responsiveness of European labour markets is crucial to promoting

economicactivity andhighproductivity.” Employmentpolicyhasbecomeanareaof

central focusontheEuropeanagendaandwewelcometheopportunityprovidedby

this consultation to engage in a discussion on how labour law can evolve to better

support the revised Lisbon Strategy’s objective of achieving sustainable growthwith

moreandbetterjobs.

“Withoutprejudiceto theotherprovisionsof thisTreaty,andwithin the limitsof

thepowersconferredbyitupontheCommunity,theCouncil,actingunanimouslyona

proposal from the Commission, and after consulting with the European Parliament,

may take appropriate action to combat discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic

origin,religionorbelief,disability,ageorsexualorientation.”

Accordingtothat,wefindinthearticle13oftheAmsterdamTreatythattheEUwas

given thepower toadoptpositivemeasures to combatdiscriminationbasedon sex,

racialorethnicorigin,religionorbelief,ageorsexualorientationforthefirsttimein

May1997.AttheAmsterdamEuropeanCouncil,HeadsofGovernmentoftheMember

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StatesacceptedanarticletogivetheEUtheauthoritytoacttocombatdiscrimination

in all its forms. This was Article 13which has become a standard part of European

socialpolicyvocabularyeversince.ThetextofArticle13is:

So,article13providestheUnionwiththelegalbasistocombatdiscriminations,

althoughgeneralprinciplesarenotinthemselveslegallybindingonMemberStates,so

theymustbedevelopedbydirectives.In2000,theCouncilpassedtwoimportant

directivesbasedonArticle13.ThesearetheRaceDirective(2000/43)andthe

EmploymentEqualityDirective(2000/78).

TheRaceDirectiveisaCouncilDirectiveimplementingtheprincipleofequaltreatment

betweenpersonsirrespectiveofracialorethnicorigin(2000/43/EC).Itsimportance

residesonthefactthatitprohibitsdiscriminationonthegroundsofraceinthefields

ofemployment,training,education,accesstosocialsecurityandhealthcare,social

advantages,andaccesstogoodsandservicesincludinghousing.

The Employment Equality Directive sets out a general framework for combating

discriminationonthegroundsofreligionorbelief,disability,ageorsexualorientation

asregardsemploymentandoccupation.MemberStateshavetransposedthisdirective

tovaryingdegrees.Itsprovisionsarewide‐rangingandrequiredetailedconsideration,

particularlytoaddressingArticle6ofDirective2000/78whichallowsMemberStates

to identify areas where differences of treatments on the ground of age can be

objectively justified and where some exemptions from the law may be possible.

Whether this is a reasonable article or not depends entirely on the way it is

implementedatnational level.Whilecertaincasesofdifferentialtreatmentmightbe

justified, it is essential that Member States are not allowed to adopt a loose

interpretationwhichallowsmanyunjustifiedcasesofdiscriminationtobeacceptedon

thebasisofnegativestereotypesandassumptions.

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3.2 NationalLevel

Asexplainedbeforeintheintroduction,theStrategyofLisbon,initsguidelines18and

19, it is trying to take into the labourmarket thenon‐discriminationprincipleof the

article13oftheAmsterdamTreatybyputtingtheobjectiveofarateofemploymentof

elderlypeopleof50%by2010inalltheMemberStates;asaresponsetotheconstant

remindoftheEuropeanInstitutionstotheMemberStatesthatweneedtocarryout

the structural reforms thatarenecessary topromote thepermanenceof theelderly

workers in the labour market and to increase the professional knowledge of the

workers,especiallytheprofessionalknowledgeofthepeoplewhohavealowlevelof

education.

Asaconsequence,theaveragerateof2007was44.7%duetothemeasuresadopted

andnowtwelveoftheEuropeanMemberStatesarealreadyabovethisrate.

Therefore,intheNationalLevel,wewillstartanalyzingGermany.

To achieve the goals of the Lisbon Strategy, Germany has done “TheGeneral Equal

Treatment‐Act” that protects elder employees from discrimination against their age

(§1GeneralEqualTreatment‐Act).TheActwaslegislatedon14thAugust2006,based

upon the EC‐Directive 2000/78/EG. Furthermore we can find “The Employee

Professional Education‐Act” that defines in some German federal states1, that

employeeshavearighttohaveadditionalleavedaysforprofessionaltraining.

TheGermanlegislatoralsochanged§417SocialSecurityCodeIII(SozialgesetzbuchIII),

so that the charges of certain professional education activities can be paid by the

Federal Employment Office, if the employee especially meets the following

requirements:Theworkerolderthan45years, isstillemployed,hisorheremployer

occupieslessthan250employees,andtheactivitystartsbefore31stDecember2010.

1 Due to the fact, that Germany is administratively organized as a Federation, every Federal State can partially have its own laws.

9

In addition, the professional education activitymust be given off the job andmust

impart knowledge that exceeds the near‐term skills used by the employee for the

currentactivitiesonthejob.

In the case of Spain, we find the law Additional Disposition number 25 of the law

42/2006 of 28 of December ofPresupuestosGenerales del Estado,which includes a

measurethatispretendedtoincreasethebonusforthoseolderthan60with5years

oflengthofservicetoallthecontributorsolderthan50withindefinitetermcontract

andthelaw43/2006fortheimprovementandgrowthofemployment(BOE,de29de

Diciembrede2006núm.312)whichincludesthemeasuresthatappearintheAnnual

ReportofthePlanNacionaldeReforma2006.

Moreover, theRealDecreto1369/2006,de17denoviembre,por el que se regulael

ProgramadeRentaActivadeInserciónparadesempleadosconespecialesnecesidades

económicasydificultadparaencontrarempleo,includestheProgramadeRentaActiva

deReinsercióncomoderechosubjetivo,which isameasureaddressedtoachievethe

objective of the Lisbon Strategy that will be described in a deeper analysis in the

businessperspective.

Referring to theNetherlands, we have the law against age discrimination, which is

very strict and largely applied and then we have the Social Security system that

providesprotectiontotheelderlypeoplewhoareemployed,forexample,inthecase

of dismissal.However, the existenceof somany rulesmakes it very difficult for the

employerwho,consequently,avoidshiringelderlypeople.

What refers to Italy, in the decree 276/2003we can findmost of the legal aspects

whichconcernelderlypeople.

Concretelyarticle34,paragraph2,pointsoutthecategoriesofworkers(underthe25

yearsandabovethe45)forwhichthestipulationofacontractof“intermittentjob”is

permitted,evenifthecontractualorlegislativedisciplinegivesdifferentconditions.

10

Also,theinstituteofthe“contractofinsertion”,thathasgonetoreplacethepreceding

figureofthecontractofformationandjobisapplied,amongtheothercategories,to

the subjects with more than fifty years of age, who are without a place of

employment;

It is important to rememberanotheraspect: theexclusionof theholdersofpension

from the "job with project" discipline. Exclusion that determines, for the possible

contracts of coordinated and continuous collaboration stipulated by these subjects,

the non application of the established requisites for the "jobwith project", and the

non application of the tutelage norms expected for this kind of contract (as the

dispositionsonthecorrespondentoronthesafetyonjob).Wecanfindthe"principle

ofdelegation",containedonthe243/2004law,betweentheSocialSecuritydiscipline

andtheworldworkdiscipline.Thisprincipleforeseesthefacilitationoftheuseofpart‐

timecontractsfortheworkerswhohavematuredtherequisitefortheaccesstothe

retirementofseniority.

TheGenerationPact isaplanthathasbeenintroducedtotheBelgiangovernment–

VerhofstadtIIonOctober10,2005asaresultoftheproblemoftheageinginBelgium.

It contains 66measurements to getmore people to work and to encourage longer

working. There is also a regulation called early retirement that allows certain older

employees, in case of dismissal, to get in addition to unemployment benefits a

compensation of the employer. So it isn’t a traditional pension. The system of the

conventionalearlyretirementisbasedontheexistenceofacollectiveagreement.The

possibilitytogowithearlyretirementwillberaisedfrom58to60yearsoldstartingin

2008.

Earlyretirementcanonlyincertaincasesattheageof58:

• from2008

o formenifthemanhasalreadyworkedfor35years

o forwomenasthewomanhasalreadyworkedfor30years

• from2012

o formenasthemanhasalreadyworkedfor38years

o forwomenasthewomanhasalreadyworkedfor35years

• lateronwilltheworkingyearsforwomenalsoberaisedto38years

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In accordance with the Occupational Health Care Act, in Finland, an employer is

obliged toorganizeoccupationalhealth careat theirowncost for thepreventionof

danger and detriment to health due to work and working conditions, as well as to

protect and promote the employees safety, work ability and health. The statutory

occupational health care does not includemedical care, but the employer can also

organize medical care for their employees, and receive compensation for it.

Entrepreneurscanorganizeoccupationalhealthcareforthemselves,buttheActdoes

notobligethemtodoso.Asmuchas50percentofthecostsfortheentrepreneur’s

medicalcarearecompensated,uptothemaximumannualamountsetbytheSocial

InsuranceInstitutionofFinland.Acompanycanmakeacontractfortheserviceswitha

health center, a private clinic or an occupational health care clinic that is sharedby

companies.Asaprincipalrule,theSocialInsuranceInstitutionofFinland(KELA)paysa

compensationof50%‐60%ofthecostsincurred.Therestofthecostsaredeductiblein

the company’s taxation. Because of this act it’s more favorable for companies to

improve the working environment and increase the productivity of the employees.

(OuluRegionalBusinessAgency)

AccordingtotheactofTemporarilyLow‐wageSubsidyanemployerisentitledtohave

atemporarily low‐wagesubsidy incasetheemployerhaspaidwagetoanemployee

from900euroto2000euroduringthecalendarmonth.Inordertoreceivethesubsidy

the employee needs to be 54 years old, hired for a full‐time job or to be part‐time

retired.Theamountofthesubsidyis44%ofthepartofthewagewhichexceedsthe

limitof900eurobutcannotbemorethan220euro.Alsotheprivatepeoplewhohave

lowwagecanapply for the low‐wagesubsidy,which in thatcase is tax free income.

(Finlex) The Low‐wage subsidies are often proposed as a solution to the

unemployment problem among the low skilled people and also to increase the

employmentrateoftheelderpeople.

Secure and stable employment for elder people, in Lithuania, is bonded by the

Lithuanian Labour Code, which protects the interests of employees until their

retirement.Oneof themost importantnorms in theLabourCode is theArticle135,

whichguaranteestothepeoplethathaveonlythreeyearslefttoretirementage,the

possibilitytobenotdismissed,unlessitisnottheirguilt.

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Lithuania is trying tomake some changes for the situation of the elder people. For

example,accordingto“theActofhighereducationpeople”,thereisthepossibilityfor

professorstoworkafterthepensionableageof65.

The government of Lithuania reaches tomake conditions for old age people to live

meaningful personal, social, professional and cultural life, to be respected for their

experience.Theemployermustmakethesameconditionstoallpeople independent

of their age. Law on equal treatment establishes the duty to firm equal rights and

opportunities independent of age, sexual orientation, disability, ethnical origin,

religion,gospelinalllawprojects.

To sum up, it is offering to appoint people to the higher educational institutions

consideringnotonlythecandidates’agebuttheirquality,professionalexperienceand

etc. This change would safeguard that higher educational institutions also their

subdivision head or their substitutes could be appointed all age people. Test of

appointmentmustbetheirprofessionalquality,professionalexperience,butnottheir

age.

Inthischapterithasbeenshownthateverystatehastakenitslegalactionstoachieve

thegoalthathasbeensetbytheLisbonStrategy.Somestateshavealreadyreached

the goal of 50%, like Germany and Finland; others states have taken their

measurementsbutitisstillearlytofullyassesstheimpacttheyhavehad.Theproblem

ofdiscriminationisstillabigissueinsomememberstates,andthesestatesfirsthave

to take in account the human rights before they can achieve the goal of the Lisbon

Strategy. To go deeper in the problem, it is now necessary, to analyze the

measurementstakenontheBusinessPerspectiveandontheHumanResourceLevel.

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4 BusinessPerspective

4.1 InternationalPerspective

Duetotheworldwidefinancialcrisiscompaniesnowadayssufferfrommonetarydifficulties.As

a result, a lotof enterprises are forced to cutdown their amountof costs extremely. Some

companiesstartreducingcostsbylayingoffpersonnel.Theimportantquestionisnowbased

uponwhichcriteriaanemployercanchooseanemployeetodismiss.Apossiblecriteriaisthe

lackofcompetencesduetoanemployee’sage.Itisprovedbysurveys,thatthedifferent

competences an employee has got, do not all become less while the employee

becomesolder,buttheybegintochange,whilesomecompetencesincrease.

The following table illustrates the so‐called change of competences that employees

performwhilegettingolder.

Competences growing by advancing age

Competences reducing by advancing age

• Strategic thinking and action • Flexibility of reactions

• Market/customer orientation • Readiness to take a risk

• In-depth knowledge • Learning aptitude

• Experience/routine • Willingness to cooperate

• Awareness of Quality • Motivation

• Communication skills • Willingness to delegate

• Conflict resolution skills

• Coaching skills

• Labour satisfaction Change of competences by advancing age

Thusitappearsthatsenioremployeesdonotbecomelessusefulforanenterprise.

Elderworkersaresolelydifferent fromyoungerones. Inaddition itcanbesaid, that

growingcompetencesofemployeesarealwaysgood foranemployer,whichmeans,

thattheemployeese.g.aremoreproductiveandcreatemorevaluesintheenterprise.

Ontheotherhanddecreasingcompetenceswillonlycostemployermoney,sincehis

employeesarelessproductivethanbefore.

14

Thisleadstotheessentialquestionforeveryemployer,ifkeepinganoldemployeeis

moreexpensive than replacinghimbya youngerone.Onone side, education courses,

ergonomicalreconstructionandsickleaveofelderemployeesdoescosttheemployermoney.

But on the other side the loss of know‐how connected with the dismissal of elder

employees is a factor, which cannot be neglected. If an employer lays off a highly

qualifiedelderworkerinordertosavemoneyforashortterm,itmustbeconsidered,

thatonalong‐termbasistheemployeehastobereplacedbye.g.anexternalexpert,

whichisusuallyveryexpensive.Tosumup,itcanbesaid,thatkeepingordismissingan

elderemployeeinmostcasesisasimplequestionofcosts.

4.2 Nationallevel

In order to bring companies to employ formerunemployedelder peopleor to keep

ageing employees, there have been created different incentives in the different

memberstatese.g.tohelpnationalcompaniesbearingthecostsofanelderemployee.

In theNetherlands there is thepossibilityof reducingthetaxand insurancecostsof

olderemployees. In addition theDutchStatehelps companiesby compensating sick

leavecostsofworkersolderthan55years.

InLithuania,whenelderpeoplereachtheretirementage, theyusuallystayatwork,

because theyneedmoremoneyandalsowant tohaveahigherpension. Lithuanian

employersaretryingtokeepelderpeopleinthemarket,butusually just inthatpart

whereelderpeopleareworkingforsimpleworks,becausecompaniesarenotableto

pay for courses or trainings where elder people can improve they computers or

languagesskills.

In Finland many companies have started acknowledging the know‐how of elder

employees as an important asset. Nevertheless there are big problems with

miscommunication between older and younger employees in Finnish companies.

AccordingtotheActofOccupationalHealthCare(mentionedinchapter3)preventing

HealthCareServiceforallemployeeshastobeprovidedandthecompaniesdohave

thepossibilityofgettingthemoneytheyhavespentonhealthcareservicesbackfrom

15

theState.Companieswon’thavetoprovidemedicalservices,butincasetheydoso,

they can get the money back up to 60%. This benefits both the employer and the

employee;therewillbe lesssick leaveabsences,themotivationandtheproductivity

ofanemployee increases. Furthermoreemployers canget low‐wage subsidy, if they

hire a person aged 54 for full‐time job and in case they hire a person on part‐time

retirement. This helps the elder people to access working life and to extend those

careers which would otherwise be ended due to the retirement age. Recently the

OccupationalHealthCarecentreshavestartedtofocusontheworkingenvironmentas

apartofthepreventinghealthcare,becauseinFinlandaquitebigamountofthesick

leavesare causedby theexhaustion, stressandothermental issues. The sick leaves

costmoneyforthecompanybecausetheemployerisobligedtopayfullsalaryforthe

employeeforthenext28‐56daysdependingonthecollectivelabouragreementofthe

particular field and depending on the duration of the employee’s career. If the sick

leave isextendedtheemployercangetcompensationforthemoneyspentfromthe

SocialInsuranceInstitutionofFinland.

Every year a federal prizewill be rewarded to a company inBelgium that has done

exceptional efforts to hire or keep older employees. This award is positive for their

reputation.Inadditionmanysectoralpayscalesstilluseageasthecriteriononwhich

salaries are based. This leads to excessively high salary costs for olderworkers. The

European anti‐discrimination law has led the federal authority to invite the social

partners to systematically adjust their pay scales. From 2009 onward, collective

bargaining agreements setting pay scales based on age can no longer be legally

extended.DuetothisBelgianemployerswillhavetopaylesstaxonthewagesofall

employees. Furthermore the Belgian government helps employers also to keep and

employ elder people by creating so‐called age‐ or diversity consultants, which give

advicetothecompanies.

In Italy, some of the norms used to stimulate the occupation contemplate specific

dispositions to increase thepermanenceatworkor theprofessional replacementof

themostelderlyworkers.Forthisreason,primarilytheStatehastotakealook,about

newassumptions,onthecreditoftaxdiscipline;thisdisciplineprovidesforanincrease

ofthemeasureofthebenefitifthecontractofjobisstipulatedwithasubjectwhois

16

morethan45yearsold.Particularly, theamountofthecreditof tax is, insuchcase,

superiorof50europermonth.Thebindingdiscipline,redefinedin1992,itdepended

from the exigence to contain the pension expense; the exigence of its overcoming

derivesfromasidefromtheconvictionthatamoreliberalregimeinthisareaitwould

guaranteetheincrease,andsothecontributiverecovery,ofsubmergedoccupational

situations,andfromtheothersidefromthenecessitytoreconcile,insidethesystem,

the cumulate regulation with the initiatives used to allow a more prolonged

permanenceatwork.Therefore,aformofovercomingofthecumulateprohibitionhas

already been defined in the financial law of 2003 that it has established the total

cumulability of the treatment of seniority with the job incomes, with the only

conditionthatat themomentof theretirementtheaffiliatehasmaturedat least58

yearsofageand37yearsofcontributions.

InSpaintherewasstartedaprogramme,thatiscalled“ProgramadeRentaActivade

Reincerción”,which includesmeasuresofactivepoliticsofemployment, financedby

the State with the aim of incrementing the opportunities of labour reinsertion and

giving an economical help called “renta activa de inserción”, which is given by the

State, linked to the realization of the actions in the subject of active policies of

employmentthatdoesn’tincludewageretributions.ToentertothisprogramofRenta

Activa de Reinserción, the unemployed older people must meet different

requirements. For instance the employee must be at least 45, be a solicitor of

employment, in the office of public service of employment for 12months or more

without interruptionsanhavenorighttoreceivesubsidiesforunemploymentorthe

RentaAgraria.

To achieve this requirement is necessary that the solicitor lacks of salaries and,

moreover, if he/she has a couple and/or children younger than 26, elderly disabled

peopleoryoungerthan18whoisbeingfostered,itwilljustbeconsideredasachieved

the requirement when the whole sum of the intakes of all the inhabitants of the

familiarunity(includingthesolicitor),dividedbetweenthemembersthatcomposeit,

doesn’t overtake the 75% of theMinimum Interprofessional Salary per month, not

including the proportional part of the 2 extraordinary payments. That the person

solicitor hasn’t beneficiated of the program ofRenta Activa de Inserción in the 365

17

before the date of solicitude, unless it proves to be a disabled person, victim of

violenceofgenderandvictimofdomesticviolence.Inadditionitisalsoimportant,that

thepersoncannothavebeneficiatedfrom3programsofRentaActivadeReinserción.

InGermany special education courses thatanelderemployeeneeds canbepaidby

thestate, if theemployeemeetsspecial requirements, inordertosavecosts for the

employer.Thismeasurehelpscompaniestokeepelderemployees,whichtheymaybe

wouldhave todismissdue toa lackofqualification,because theemployeescanget

the education they need – paid by the State. Furthermore German employers, that

hireformerunemployedelderpeoplecangetsubsidies(max.50%ofthenewwage),if

thenewemployeeiselderthan50andwasmorethan12monthsunemployed.

Asaconclusionitcanbesaid,thatthebiggestproblemfromtheemployer’spointof

viewisthecostproblemproducedbyelderemployees,suchasforinstanceadditional

educationcourses.Thereforeeveryreviewedmemberstate–exceptLithuania–tries

tohelpitscompaniessolvingtheabovementionedcostproblembyeithergivingthem

subsidiesorreducingthetaxtheyhavetopay.However,fromtheemployee’spointof

view it is not all a matter of costs. For this reason in the next chapter the Human

Resourceperspectivewillbeexplored.

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5 HumanResourceperspective

5.1 HumanResourceManagement Human resource management is the strategic and coherent approach to the

managementofanorganization’smostvaluedassets‐thepeopleworkingtherewho

individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the

business. In simple sense, Human ResourceManagementmeans employing people,

developing their resources, utilizing maintaining and compensating their services in

tunewiththejobandorganizationalrequirement.

Humanresourcemanagementservesthesekeyfunctions:

1. Selection

2. TrainingandDevelopment

3. PerformanceEvaluationandManagement

4. Promotions

5. Redundancy

6. IndustrialandEmployeeRelations

7. Recordkeepingofallpersonaldata.

8. Compensation,pensions,bonusesetcinliaisonwithPayroll

9. Confidentialadvicetointernal'customers'inrelationtoproblemsatwork

10. Careerdevelopment

Withincorporationsandbusinesses,Humanresourcesreferstotheindividualswithin

the firm, and to the portion of the firm's organization that dealswith hiring, firing,

training,andotherpersonnel issues.Theobjectiveofhumanresourceistomaximize

the return on investment from the organization's human capital and minimize the

financial risks. It is the responsibility of human resourcemanagers to conduct these

activitiesinaneffective,legal,fair,andconsistentmanner.

19

Socialpartners–asrepresentativesofemployersandworkers–haveaparticularrole

toplayinfacilitatingtheworkforceinEurope.DuetotheimportantpositionofSocial

partnerswithin companies, they are able to exert pressure on the Human resource

management policy. This would have as a result that the Human Resource

Managementmakessomechangesintheirpolicyonhiringpeople.Thiscouldbevery

interestingfortheelderly.Ifthesocialpartnersplaytheircardsright,HRMcouldhire

moreelderlypeople.

ThedemographicchallengefacingtheEuropeanUnionisthat,overthenext20years,

theaverageageoftheworkingpopulationwillincreaseandthenumberofpeopleof

workingagewilldecline.At the same time, the strainonsocial security systemswill

growwithincreasinglifeexpectancy.

Toachievemoresustainableeconomicandsocialdevelopment, theEUhas set itself

thetargetofincreasingtheemploymentrateofolderpeople.Forthistobesuccessful,

governments,socialpartnersandorganizationsneedtoworktogethertodevelopthe

skillsandemployabilityofolderpeoplewhilemaintainingthehealth,motivationand

capacitiesofworkersastheyage.

Agediscriminationandnegativestereotypesofolderworkersmustbetackled,while

workingconditionsandemploymentopportunitiesmustbeadaptedtoanage‐diverse

workforce. Human Resource Management plays an important role in age

management.HRMmustdeveloptheageawarenessthroughouttheorganization.

HRMcanreachthisgoalonthefollowingway:

‐monitoringrecruitmentandtrainingtoensurethatageisnotusedinappropriately;

‐promotingagediversityandensuringthatalllevelsofmanagementare

committedtoit;

‐ensuringopportunitiesforlifelonglearning;

‐introducingagemanagementinitiativesandevaluatingtheirimpact

20

5.2 Europeanperspective

According toTheEuropeanUnionworkingbeyond theageof55mustbeviewedas

rewardingfortheemployeeandvaluableforcompanies.Withoutsuchthiscollective

awareness,anypracticalmeasureswhichareadoptedwillnothaveanoptimalimpact.

The first steps must be to bring a change in attitudes and to raise the awareness

among companies and employees. Therefore urges the EU to promote awareness‐

raising,informationandenlightenmentcampaigntargetedatthemainstakeholdersas

wellassocietyingeneral,inordertohelpbringaboutapositiveperceptionoftherole

whichworkers can play in companies and the public services. Best practices should

alsobedisseminated.

According to the European Union elder employees have the right for protection

against discrimination. The EC Directive establishing a general framework for equal

treatment in employment and occupation covers a number of grounds of

discriminationincludingage.TheEU’spopulationisageing,butthereismuchevidence

thatagediscriminationiswidespread.Thelawagainstagediscriminationisareaction

to that and the consequent desire to encourage greater participation in the labour

marketbyolderworkers.

5.3 NationalperspectiveThe overall view among the European Union countries, which have agreed up the

LisbonStrategyanditsthreepillargoals,seemsthattheageingworkforceisincreasing

and their competence in the hectic global business environment has become a real

concern. Thousands of employeeswill retire around Europewithin the next 5 to 10

years and therewill be ahugedemand forworkforce and know‐how. The countries

which have endorsed the Lisbon Strategy have started up many different kinds of

projects on how to improve theworking life conditions and the competence of the

elder employees. Because the life expectancy is increasing and national health care

systems are improving, it can be seen possible for extending the elder workers’

careers.

21

In this chapter the nationalities involving the project Implementation of Lisbon

Strategy are being introduced. Their main characteristics and perspectives on the

matter how to maintain sustainable performance for elder people will be analyzed

throughthereportsdonebyeachparticipantoftheirowncountries.

AccordingtothereportofItalytheimprovementoftheelderworkerspossibilitiesto

find jobs are done by the employment agency (that can be public or private)which

arrangesconventionsonteachingtheelderpeoplehowtofindanewjobandhowto

copewithone.Mainlythecountry’spublicpolicyhasa little influenceondeveloping

theworking life of elder people and it’s an issuewhich isn’t included in the Italian

politicalagenda.Anywaytheissuehasarisenfromthecompanylevelandthecountry

hasstartedtoacknowledgetheproblem.Overallprobleminthecountryseemstobe

the younger generation’s employment possibilities. Being a collective culture elder

people are more respected than in the Northern European countries for example,

where theemphasis ison the individual.As itwas said in the Italian report younger

peoplefeelmorediscriminatedthantheolderpeople.

In Belgium case the emphasis is more on the attitude change in the working

environment towards elder people and the companies executing the policy on

improving the atmospherewill be introduced in the next chapter. On national level

extrabonussystemhasbeencreatedforpeoplethatkeeponworkingovertheageof

60andeveryworkerover40areentitledtoaconsultationontheircareerperspectives

two times a year. In case the company cannot provide it, employee can get

consultancyoutside the company.Alsoelderemployeeswill be given certificateson

theircompetenceandgainedinformation.

Lithuania is a quite new member of the European Union and the improving living

standards has revealed a new problem in the working life. The amount of elder

employees is increasingand their competence in theworking life is aquestionas in

almosteverymemberstate.AccordingtotheLithuanianreporttheUniversitieshave

established educational programs for elder people in order to give people new

possibilitiesinworkinglifeandextendthecareers.Theeducationalprogramsarefree

andtheyarefundedbythegovernment.

22

According to the report ofFinland the goals set for the employment rates for elder

people have been exceeded, but the main issue lies in the atmosphere of the

companies. The youth has become an essence of life and older employees are

disrespected in the companies. This ismost probably due to the higher educational

systeminFinland.Mostoftheelderemployeesdon’thavehigherdegreeandbecause

ofthat it’sreallyhardforthemtomoveforwardintheircareers.Differentministries

have establishedmany programs on improving theworking life and the educational

situationforelderpeople.ThemostimportantoneistheTYKES2004‐2009theFinnish

workplace development programwhich aim is to improve the interaction andwork

practices in Finland. The focus is on themanagement level and the staff to support

themtoworktogetherforbetterworkingenvironment.Thiswill improvethequality

and productivity in working life. The main issue at the moment is the worldwide

economical crisis,which is affecting on thepersonnel policies in Finland. People are

being laidoff and the fearofunemployment ishugeamongelderworkers.Also the

training programmes provided by the employer are put on hold, because there’s a

needtocutdownthecosts.

InGermanythepublicawarenessofageingworkforcehasincreasedandhasfoundits

way to companies also. Several programs on promoting the employment of ageing

people have been set and the importance of the experience and the practice‐

orientated knowledge older employees has been acknowledged. To promote the

employmentofageingpeople62localprojectshavebeensetandthoseareespecially

forelderunemployedpeople.Peopleemployedbythestatehelpelderpeopletofind

workthatfitsespeciallytheirqualification.TheEmphasisintheprojectsisonthelocal

peopletryingtofindlocalwork.

23

In Spain the improvement of the working conditions for elder people is a little bit

different compared to other countries reports. Even thou there has been a rapid

ageing in Spanish population the general attitude in company level favors early

retirement instead of extending careers and improving the working practices and

environment. By state there have been set a progamme called “Programa de renta

active de reinsercion como derecho subjective”. This means that the unemployed

peoplewhoaredemandingemploymentwill receivemoneyfromthegovernment in

casethepersonisover45yearsold.

The Netherlands are facing the same issue on increasing amount of the ageing

populationasaremanyof theEuropeanUnioncountries.There isahugegap in the

labourforcebetweentheolderandyoungergenerationandtheextensionofcareersis

inevitable. The general attitude on ageingworkers is under upgrading and different

kinds of age awareness projects are set, but main emphasis is on the life course

perspectivewhichimpliesthatworkersindifferentphasesoftheirliveshavetheirown

vulnerabilitiesandcapacities.Inordertoreducetheearlyexitofelderemployeesthe

government policies on early exit and exit into disability insurance are made more

expensive for thecompanies so that thecompanieshavehad to focuson improving

theworkinglifeandinteractionbetweenyoungerandolderemployees.Bothcompany

managementand labourunionshavedifficultiestoresistsupportingtheearlyexitof

employees because many companies are struggling due to the economical crisis

aroundtheworld.

5.4 Microperspective

At the moment the current worldwide economical crisis is creating challenges for

companies.Thequestionhowtomaintaintheoperationswithoutlayingoffpeople,is

an issuemanymanagers are thinkingat themoment. In this kindof a situation it is

difficulttotryto lookintothefutureandkeepingthepositiveattitude.Whencomes

thetimetomakedecisionsonwhereandhowtocutthecosts,mainly itstarts from

thehuman resourcedepartment. This is something thatwe’ve all seen in thenews,

people losing their jobs because of the financial crisis hitting the companies. In this

situationalsoanykindoftraininganddevelopingprogrammesareputonholdorshut

24

down, no excess costs are needed. In some point of view these decisionsmight be

harsh,but itmightbe theonly thing that cankeep thecompany running.Not tobe

naïve,hastobementionedthatcuttingdowntheprofitexpectationscouldalsokeep

thecompanyoperating.

Whether the situation in the economical world is good or bad, decisions should be

doneinthelongrun.Andwhenthecompaniesareunderpressuretheydon’tkeepup

withtheirageawarenesspoliciesand itonlybenefits thecompany inshort term.As

wasmentionedintheBusinessperspectivechapterthetimeswillchangeandthenthe

workforce laid off will be needed again. In this chapter different companies from

differentcountrieswillbe introduced.Manyofthemhavedoneverygoodlongterm

decisions on improving the quality of theworking life and the possibilities for elder

workersinthecompanies.

• Germany: one company (bank) implemented a three pillar system in their

operationsasan intention toextend the careersofelderemployee.Working

hours, work content, and working place were based on the education. For

example in a company called MicroTec motivation, health and qualification,

recruitmentmeasurestargetedtooldpeoplewereseentohavepositiveeffect

intheself‐esteemandself‐conceptofthestaffmembers.

• The Netherlands: Siemens, Achmea and Neopost have been shifting the

responsibility of well‐being of workers to the line managers which have

appeared to be very successful. Same companies also emphasize the elder

employees’roleasmentorforyoungeremployeesandseethattheinformation

flowishighlyimportant.

• Spain:GlassworksMatarohastakeninitiativesintopracticeandthemainpart

istheknowledgetransferbetweenthegenerations.Themanagementcoaching

is done by an external senior. In company called Escola Pia the amount of

trainingsareincreasedwhichgivesequalaccesstoemploymentforallagesand

intergenerationalexchangeiscombinedwithpartialretirement.

• Belgium:Goodexamplesofmakingchangesintheworkingenvironmenthave

done the companies De Klink, De Berkjes, T‐interim, Barco with offering

trainingpossibilities,flexibleworkinghours,jobdesign,jobrotationandmost

25

importantly trying to change the attitudes towards elder people within the

companyandemphasizingknowledgetransfer.

• Italy:AcompanyCoopAfricarecruitedolderwomenthrougharedeployment

courseandseveralwomenrespondedwithjoywhentheywereofferedajob.

The company gained enthusiastic employees whose motivation and

commitmenttotheirjobsweregreaterthanaverage.

• Finland: The company Ruoka‐Saarioinen had a promising senior programme,

untiltheendof2005,targetedtoemployeesaged54.Theideawastohavea

frequentcareerplanningdiscussionwiththeemployeeandthesuperior.Inthe

discussion was included the work ability problems, need for changing work

contentandtheneedforeducation.Alsotheseniorworkershadpossibilitiesto

receivetimeoffinsteadoftheannualholidaypayandpossibilityforpart‐time

pensionwasoffered.

• Lithuania: Any special company cases couldn’t be found about Lithuania,

probablybecause theawarenessof theageingemployeesasan issue is fairly

new.Recently theConfederationofLabourUnionshasdefinedolderworkers

asoneoftheimportantandvulnerablegroups inthelabourmarket.Similarly

the employers represented by the Lithuanian Business Employers’

Confederation and theConfederationof Lithuanian Industrials are starting to

address the issue of older workers. Lithuanian media especially local news

papers have been very alert on this issue and publish articles on the

employmentproblemsfacingolderpeoplearequitefrequent.

As a conclusion of thewhole Human Resource chapterwe can say that theHuman

ResourceManagementandtheSocialPartnersplayan importantrole intheworking

life.TheHumanResourcedepartmentisthecoreofthecompanybecausetheycontrol

theworkforce.As itwassaid thesocialpartner’s representativesare in theroleofa

negotiatorincasesomebigchangesaredoneintheworkinglifeandinthecollective

labouragreement.Theirroleshouldbemoreemphasizedinallcountries,becausethey

are the ones which really can affect to the companies’ decision making process

concerningtheelderemployees.Thecompanieshaveacknowledgedtheissueonthe

increasingamountof retiringpeopleandpossible lossof knowledgeandknow‐how.

Becauseofthatseveralprojectshavebeensettoextendelderemployees’careers.

26

7.Conclusions Having the research done, it can be said as a conclusion, that the situationof elder

peopleonthe labourmarkethas improvedsincetheLisbonStrategywas initiated in

March 2000. However, some Member States have not reached the goal yet and

thereforethesituationofelderpeoplestillmustbeimprovedonandon.

Unfortunately there is no common European law or directive concerning the

performanceofelderpeopleonthe labourmarket,althoughdifferent lawse.g.anti‐

discriminationlawsdealwithelderpeople.TheLisbonStrategytriestofillthisgapand

duetothiseverysingleMemberStatetriedtosolvetheproblemseparately,butthe

goalof50% is commonand therefore, theevaluation following theopenmethodof

coordination should be continued in every case. Even the goal should be increased

fromnow50%to55%.

There is also a social problem concerning the opinion of the society about elder

people.Atthemomenttheenvironmentinbusinessworldemphasisestheyouthand

efficiency.Becauseofthatattitudetheelderpeoplearedisrespectedinthecompanies

and the possibilities for moving forward in their careers are basically set in the

minimum.Theknow‐howandtheelderemployeescontributiontoacompanyneeds

tobevaluedmore.Theexperienceisa“huge”assetforthecompaniesandtherefore

the elder employees’ know‐how and competence should be maintained through

internalandexternaltrainingsandcourses.Someelderemployeesdonotgethiredor

even get dismissed due to a lack of qualification. Companies in general have the

problemofbearingthecostsofanelderemployeeforinstanceforeducationcourses

inordertokeepthemoccupied.

Inthefutureaninversionoftheagepyramidwillhappen,thatwillleadtoagaponthe

labour market. The gap will emerge, because more elder people will retire in the

futureandlessyoungworkeswillbeonthemarkettodothejobsoftheretired.This

case also puts big pressure on the budget of the State, because the pensions of all

retiredpeoplehavetobepaid.Inthissituationcompanieswillbegettingbigproblems

with occupying qualificated personnel on the labour market, unless some elder

27

employeeskeeponstayingonthemarket.

Therefore the situation of elder people on the market and in the society must be

improvedincertainway,aswillbeexplainedinthefollowingchapter.

28

8.Recommendations TherecommendationswearesuggestingfortheEuropeanUnionwillbestructuredin

three different levels which are the European, national and business levels. The

divisionisdoneinordertomakethestructureclearbecausealltherecommendations

cannotbeappliedtoeverycountryatthesamelevel.

Europeanlevel:

EuropeanUnionlevelrecommendationonregulations,whicharementto

Statestomaintainacertainlevelofelderlyemployeesinworkinglife.

Nationallevel:

• Incasetheemployeeover54getsdismissed,the

companyisobligedtopaytheeducationforthe

employeeforthefollowingsixmonthsthatshouldbeat

leasttheonemonthsalary.

• Thepeopleover54whoareunemployedforlongerthan

sixmonthshavethepossibilitytogeteducationfullypaid

bythegovernment.

• Taxreductionforcompanieswhichhavekeptcertain

amountofelderemployeesworkingforacertainperiod

oftime,whichcanbedefinedbythecountries

themselves.

Businesslevel:

• Companyneedstopayapenaltyfeewhichisthreetimes

thesalaryofadismissedpersontothegovernmentin

casethepersonisthreeyearsawayfromretiriment.

29

Europeanlevel:

Therecommendationistotrytomaintaintheknowledgeoftheelderlyinthe

companiessothevaluableknow‐how,expertiseandexperiencewon’tgetlost

andatthesametimetoimprovemoreflexibleworkingconditions.

Nationallevel:

• Minimunearlyretirementage60andthefullretirement

age65,butthepeoplecankeeponworkingvolunterily.

ThiscouldbeimplementedthrougouttheEuropean

Union.

• Topromotepart‐timeretirementinsteadoffull

retirementtomaintaintheknow‐howinthecompanies.

Businesslevel:

• Mentoring‐programmestomaintaintheknow‐howand

transferittothenextgenerations.

• Diversitymanagement:tohavepeoplefromdifferent

phasesofworkinglifetobepartofthemanagement

teaminordertohavedifferentapproachestothe

decisionmakingprocess.

• Tocreateagenerousbonus‐systemfortheelderlywho

continueworkingafterretiringage,incasetheyare

physicallycapable.

• Flexibleandshorterworkingdays.Sotherewillbe

possibilitiestodoshorterdaysandlongerdays,

dependingonthesituation.Thiswillimprovethe

motivationlevelandtheproductivityoftheelderly

employees.

30

EuropeanLevel:

RecommendationistocreateandimprovethePublicAgeAwareness‐

programmes,whichpromotetheelderpeople’scompetences.(Improvingthe

elder’sselfesteemviamentoringsystem).

Nationallevel:

• Governmentsupportingbusinesstoarrangetraining

programmes,sothattheburdenofthefundingwon’tbe

onlycompanies’andemployees’responsibility.

• PromotionoftheUniversitystudies/researches(meaning

experts,professors)ontheageawarenessandelder

people,andtofindmoresolutionsonthematter.

• Everyyearanationalprizecanbegiventoacompany

thathasdoneexceptionaleffortstohireorkeepolder

employees.

Businesslevel:

• Toteachtheleadershipanddevelopthemanageriallevel

skillssothattheworkingenvironmentcouldbeimproved

inalongrun.

Europeanlevel:

Enlargethegovernmentscontroloverthecompaniesmisusingthecollective

labouragreement’scontractsystemtowardstheelderemployeesinorderget

ridoftheblacklabourmarket.

Nationallevel:

• Incasethecompanieswon’tfollowthesystemtheygeta

penalty.

31

• Thecompaniesthatdon’tfollowthesystemcannot

profitfromEuropeanfunds.

Europeanlevel:

Therecommendationistoofferexternaltrainingprogrammesforelder

employeessupportedbythegovernment.

TheEURESsystemshouldbeimprovedtobeabletodobettermediationfor

theelderpeople.

Nationallevel:

• Nationalemploymentagencieshavetoimprovetheir

functioningandcreateanAgencyforelderpeopletofind

jobs,educationandtraining.

Europeanlevel:

Enhancetheimportanceofprecautionaryoccupationalhealthcaresystem

whichfocusesonthewell‐beingoftheemployees,improvingtheworking

environmentanddevelopingtheergonomicsintheworkplaces.

AsaconclusionofalltheserecommendationswecansayfortheEuropeanUnionthat

it’simportanttomaintainacertainlevelofelderemployeesintheworkinglifeinorder

to keep the know‐how in the companies. This could be done throughout thewhole

Europe the Public Age Awareness programmes which possibly could change the

negativeattitudestowardselder inthesociety.Theattitudesareoftenbasedonthe

incompetence of the elder inworking life. Because of this the training programmes

should be financed by the government. Another solution for improving the

competence of the elder employees and at the same time developing the working

environmentcouldbedonebytheprecautionaryoccupationalhealthcaresystem.It’s

also very important acknowledge the problem of the black labour market around

32

Europe especially concerning the elder people. Governments’ control over the

companiesshouldbeenlargedincountrieswhichhavethisproblem.

Somerecommendationsonnationallevelareforexampletooffereducationforelder

people thatwillbepaidby thegovernmentor thecompanies. Insomecountries for

example in ItalyandSpain theefficiencyof theemployementagenciesareona low

levelandtheirfunctionsshouldbeimprovedinordertoincreasetheemploymentrate

ofelderpeople.Thepublicawarenessoftheelderemployeescompetencescouldbe

improved by different studies made by the Universities or experts. To attract

companiestohireelderemployeescouldthetaxreductionbeapossiblesolution,but

wehavetotakeintoaccountthepublicfinancesystems.

Forcompanies it ishighly important tomaintain theelderpeople in theworking life

becauseoftheirknow‐howandexperienceandsothatitwillbepassedtotheyounger

generation.This canbedone through thementoringprogrammesand recording the

knowledge. To have a demochracy in the company there has to be diversity

management,sothateverygenerationcanparticipateonthedecisionmakingprocess

and will be heard. To improve the working environment and the decision making

processevenmoreit’snecessarytodevelopthemanagementskills.Toencouragethe

elderemployeestoextendtheircareerstherehastobepossibilitytohaveflexibleand

shorter working days. It’s been proven that it increases the motivation level and

productivity.Generousbonussystemforolderemployeeswhoworkaftertheretiring

age,willmaketheextendedworkinglifemoreattractive.

Inordertomaketheserecommendationshappen,thereneedstobemoreinteraction

betweentheEuropeanUnion,theMemberStatesandtheBusinesslevel.

33

9.ReferenceList1. Europa‐GatewaytotheEuropeanUnion.Themainpage.Referred:23.03.2009

Available:http://europa.eu/index_en.htm2. Europa‐GatewaytotheEuropeanUnion.SummariesofLegislation.Combating

Discrimination.Referred:20.03.2009.Available:http://europa.eu/scadplus/leg/nl/s22002.htm

3. Finlex.Temporarilylow‐wageact.Referred:25.6.2009.

Available:.http://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/2005/200510784. OuluRegionalBusinessAgency.Employee’shealthcarearrangements.

Referred:20.03.2009.Available:http://www.oulu.ouka.fi/ouluseutu/yrityspalvelut/perustamisopas/tyoterveyshuolto.htm

5. YTK‐yhdistys.TheSickleavesalaries.Refered:25.03.2009.Available:

http://www.ytk‐yhdistys.fi/index.asp?id=311 6. Eurofound.Workinglonger,livingbetter.Referred:24.03.2009.Available:

http.//www.eurofound.europa.eu7. Eur‐Lex.AccesstoEuropeanUnionLaw.Referred:20.03.2009.Available:

http:/www.eur‐lex.europa.eu8. EuropeanCommission.TheEuropeanUnionpolicies.Referred:20.03.2009.

Available:http:/www.ec.europa.eu

34

Appendixes

THEEMPLOYMENTOFOLDERWORKERSWITHINTHEEUROPEANUNIONTheemploymentratesofpeopleaged55to64variesfrom30%to70%withintheEuropeanUnion.WithintheLisbonstrategy,theEuropeanUnionhassettheobjectivetoreachanemploymentrateof50%amongthe55‐64agegroupbytheyear2010.In2007,theaveragerateintheEuropeanUnionof27was44.7%,while38.3%inFrance.TwelveoftheEuropeanMemberStatesarealreadyabovethisrate.

35

Thevariationsintheemploymentratesareevengreaterforwomenaged55to64.