Seniors at the workplace I

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Overall objective:

This project aims at studying a European common challenge that is the decrease of the birth rate and the increase of the number of pensioners. This social phenomenon, that is broadly speaking a global phenomenon because it does not interest only Europe but all the developed countries, is due to the improvements in living standards and health assistance. Thus, this project seeks to investigate the decrease in the number of money making people in the working force and how it could be possible to maintain the elderly population at work. The result of this research project is the publication of three booklets related to how maintain senior people at work in different European member states: Denmark, Italy, Spain and Ireland.

Immediate objective:

The first booklet result of this project provides an overview of the democratic changes in Europe and challenges it brings about.

Results:

• The booklet gives an overview of the context in different European countries as a result of a population growing older and a decreasing work force.
• It contributes actively to the European debate in order to answer this challenge by looking at the different national context in connection to Europe´s development.
• It contributes to the acknowledgement that even though a person has reached a certain age it does not mean that this person should be considered an outcast or an economic burden, but rather a social resource.
• It contributes to the discussion on what happens when age composition changes and about the possibility of increasing the retirement age, either changing the welfare state or increasing the welfare state, employing new working methods and new technology.