Older male workers and job mobility in Australia
RIS ID
22276
Abstract
Extending the working life of older workers, defined in this study as between 55 and 64 years of age, is an important policy goal in Australian and overseas in the context of an ageing society. However, current research on older workers’ job mobility is scant, except for the established finding that older workers have lower job mobility rates than younger workers. This article addresses this void with an analysis of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Labour Mobility Survey data. An alternative job mobility classification framework from that published by the ABS is developed, which distinguishes those successful at job mobility, those unsuccessful at job mobility, and those continuously employed. The composition of each group is analysed by educational status, industry and occupation, in order to determine the defining features of each group. However, findings suggest that the main influence on the likelihood of successful job mobility for older males is the voluntary or otherwise nature of their separation from employment. These findings have important implications for the federal government’s predominantly supply‐sided policy reforms aimed at older workers. .
Publication Details
O'Brien, M. J. (2007). Older male workers and job mobility in Australia. International Journal of Employment Studies, 15 (2), 1-26.