Leader: Luisa Errichiello (CNR); Other collaborator(s): Claudio LUCIFORA (UNICATT), Mario Paolucci (CNR), Greta Falavigna (CNR)
Analyse different types of contract and employment, e.g. self-employed workers and workers on temporary job contracts or flex-contracts, to assess the risk of job loss and difficulties to make ends meet. Estimate probabilities of falling in financial distress in relation to individual’s characteristics and type of contract/employment. Analyse outplacement practices and the role of “bridge-jobs” as an alternative to early retirement. Investigate the role of social partners (Unions and Employer associations) in improving job quality and labour standards for older workers through social pacts and collective bargaining. Co-design and estimate a “job fragility index” at older ages. Make use of the Covid-19 experience to calibrate a model that takes into account job losses, retirement decisions also in relation to working from home to identify causal and mediating factors. Longitudinal data, matched employer employee data; insert a new module in existing surveys to assess ICT knowledge in older people/workers.
Brief description of the activities and of the intermediate results:
Investigation of the role of non-standard work arrangements (i.e., part-time, temporary work, employment through temporary work agencies and self-employment) on job insecurity. Unconventional work patterns and enhanced space-time flexibility relevant for social partners representation (employers’ representatives and unions) and social policies in terms of labour market flexibility and social protection. Based on European Working Condition Survey (EWCS, 2015 and 2020), built an econometric model: for older workers we predict job insecurity and financial distress in relation to: job position, individual characteristics, task features and organizational factors. Mitigating role of perceived employability and financial literary on job insecurity and financial distress on specific work-related outcomes, such as job satisfaction and well-being.
Main policy, industrial and scientific implications
First results on the role of social partnerships and collective bargaining for counterbalance risks of job insecurity and difficulty to make ends meet of older workers
1. A detailed map of individuals’ working career looking at fragmented working paths and the consequences on workers’ contribution to social security and for eligibility for a pension at older age.
2. Estimates of the impact of tertiary education availability on long-term labor market outcomes.
3. Estimates of the impact of the digital and green transition on the employability of older workers.
4. Estimates of organizational well-being on firm-level turnover rates and the overall financial performance of firms, as measured by per capita value added and by Return On Assets (ROA) indicators.
5. Estimates of the relevance for the organization of work and the investment in ICT skills and about the role of social partnerships and collective bargaining for counterbalancing risks of job insecurity and difficulty to make ends meet of older workers.
Brief description of the activities and of the intermediate results:
Not all institutional factors examined have a significant impact on job insecurity and EI. This result is valid for both workers over 50 and younger worker groups (under 35 and between 35 and 50 years old).
Some institutional factors have a greater intensity of effects on workers over 50 compared to those observed for younger workers. For many relevant institutional factors affecting workers over 50, it is observed that their influence on the two forms of labor market insecurity is opposing. For example, if a country introduces measures and programs that help people find jobs and improve their skills through training interventions or incentives for companies (reducing job insecurity), such interventions may, however, increase concerns among workers about not easily finding employment if they become unemployed (decreasing employability). It is necessary to introduce policy measures, including those aimed at influencing a country's culture, that consider the trade-off between job insecurity and employability. This is to avoid producing contradictory effects.
Main policy, industrial and scientific implications
This implies the need for targeted intervention measures that take into account the different levels of employment vulnerability of workers belonging to various age groups.
Brief description of the activities and of the intermediate results:
The recruitment of two research assistants, through two one-year research grants, has enabled the extension of research activities related to the task into two new topics:
Both issues have begun to be addressed through a literature review. For the first topic, the literature review aims to develop an integrated conceptual framework that connects three interrelated themes: job insecurity, the gig economy for an aging workforce, and job insecurity for gig workers. This framework seeks to identify the main theories used by scholars to understand the determinants, processes, and outcomes of job insecurity and employability in relation to age, as well as to explore the potential application of work-life span theories.
Regarding the second topic, the literature review focuses on identifying relevant research gaps and formulating research questions to be addressed through exploratory qualitative research. This involves conducting in-depth interviews with selected bridge workers in specific sectors (e.g., academics, doctors, and lawyers).
Additionally, semi-structured interviews with various stakeholders at the national level concerning the role of older workers in the strategic agenda of social partners have been analyzed using content analysis. A preliminary qualitative report has been produced based on these findings.
Finally, a panel proposal was submitted for evaluation at the biennial conference of STS Italia – The Italian Society for Social Studies of Science and Technology (June 11-13, 2025, Politecnico di Milano). The proposal, chaired by Arianna Radin and Luisa Errichiello, has been accepted by the scientific committee. The track is entitled "Ageing in the Digital Age: The Technological Conundrum and its Implications for Active Elders."
Main policy, industrial and scientific implications
The analysis of semi-structured interviews reveals important policy implications for enhancing the human capital and productivity of older workers. The growing prevalence of non-standard employment has heightened job insecurity among older workers, highlighting the need for policies that balance workplace flexibility with robust social safety nets and tailored financial services. The pandemic further underscores the urgency of structured training programs, digital inclusion initiatives, career counseling, and mental health support to help workers of all ages navigate post-pandemic challenges.
Strategic investment in the aging workforce, including optimizing interprofessional funds, can support skills renewal and career transitions. Comprehensive age management strategies, such as reverse mentoring and tailored re-skilling programs, are essential to fostering intergenerational collaboration and unlocking the potential of senior employees. Organizations and policymakers must adopt forward-looking approaches by mapping workers’ competencies, aligning them with organizational needs, and expanding mentoring initiatives to bridge generational gaps in technology and expertise. To address these challenges effectively, a unified national framework is critical for guiding the reintegration, training, and retention of older workers in response to demographic and workplace changes.
Brief description of the activities and of the intermediate results:
Study 1 (jointly with task 2.2): Examination of the effect of telework on qualitative job insecurity (JI) for different age groups along with its effects on work-life balance (WLB). We use data from the 2021 European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS), which collected information on working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic, including telework experiences, WLB satisfaction, and perceptions of qualitative JI. Contrary to previous research we found a negative relationship between teleworking and qualitative JI, both as general and in relation to career prospects and the effects is stronger for older workers and carer prospects. This counterintuitive result can be explained by higher autonomy and control over work organization. It could also be a consequence of reduced quantitative job insecurity (since the adoption of remote work avoided business disruption and job losses). However, we also found that the intensity of teleworking does not differently affect qualitative JI, also for older workers. Moreover, it emerges that these insecurities act as stressors thereby adversely affecting WLB. Furthermore, we found age-based differences in these dynamics, with older workers experiencing less significant impacts compared to younger workers.
Study 2: Development of a new multi-level composite index of job insecurity incorporating individual, job-related and macroecomic variables through a two-step procedure: a principal component analysis to aggregate individual and job-related variables collected from the the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) for the years 2004-2022. Second, a computation of the weights of macroeconomic variables using a linear regression-based methodology.
Study 3: Literature review of qualitative international research on bridge employment aimed at identifying research gaps, proposing specific research questions and elaborating a semi-structured interview protocol to carry on qualitative interviews to a sample of older workers in different sectors.
Main policy, industrial and scientific implications
Study 1 will offer actionable recommendations for organizations looking to define age-sensitive telework policies to meet diverse workforce needs. Indeed, they should consider that older workers benefit from telework in terms of WLB but only when it is implemented in a partial and hybrid mode. The study also highlights the importance of introducing HR policies aimed at secure career opportunities and reducing uncertainties related to job quality and social relations, since they have detrimental effects on WLB, probably explainable through the connectivity paradox of telework.Study 2 will offer a valuable tool for combining micro- and macro-level data and a replicable framework for building muti-level indices along with enhancing our understaning of job insecurity ad a multidimensional concept. The index could be used to monitor job insecurity trends by age group, occupation or countries, notably to carry on a comparative analysis of the built job insecurity indexes in different countries characterized by similar or contrasting welfare systems for precarious employment among older workers. This could help elaborating target labour market policies, evaluate the impact of specific policies on job insecurity over time and guide policies to reduce labor market inequalities for older workers in vulnerable job sectors
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