Social Policy Regulation of Employment of Older Workers

This subproject will analyse macro-level social policy conditions and methods of organising the employment of older workers. Its key objective is to determine the effects of social policy regulations on the health risks and problems as well as the continued earning and performance capacity of older employees. These social policy regulations include the (flexible) organisation of the transition from employment to retirement and the measures taken to prevent early occupational impairment, promote occupational rehabilitation (work and health protection measures), and further the continuing education of older employees.

The institutional theory perspective maintains that these kinds of institutional regulations affect and structure individuals' actions and thus also influence the socio-structural distribution of risk and protective factors identifiable at the individual level, e.g. the risk burder of certain groups of employees.

To achieve its objectives, the project will first conduct an analysis of the relevant institutional regulations themselves, for instance in the form of laws and regulation. The project will then examine the actual implementation and impact of retirement and labour market policy. Existing data records from national and international research will be utilised for this purpose.

The project's research into how these regulations and policies originate and how they affect employees in the workplace will indicate relevant starting points for situation-based prevention strategies. Through the creation of suitable conditions for healthy ageing, these strategies aim to indirectly influence individuals' behaviour, and will supplement behaviour-oriented prevention strategies that are meant to directly influence health-related behaviours and medical and biological risk factors. Through this project, a substantial contribution will be made to the development of prevention strategies that integrate social and medical aspects.