Working and ageing - Cedefop - Europa
Working and ageing - Cedefop - Europa
Working and ageing - Cedefop - Europa
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CHAPTER 3<br />
Demographic changes <strong>and</strong> challenges in Europe with special focus on Germany 61<br />
employees in SMEs – regional networks comprised of enterprises,<br />
educational institutions <strong>and</strong> social partners.<br />
Most enterprises in Germany are SMEs (around 90%). Their share in total<br />
employment is around 60%. Compared to large enterprises – with a few<br />
exceptions – SMEs are deemed to be less active when it comes to systematic<br />
planning of initial <strong>and</strong> continuing vocational training; human resources<br />
development work is rare (Bellmann <strong>and</strong> Leber, 2006; 2008; Schönfeld, 2006).<br />
A project team of the University of Erfurt carried out qualitative <strong>and</strong> quantitative<br />
case studies in SMEs (25-170 employees) in the German federal state of<br />
Thuringia to gather information about dem<strong>and</strong>s of enterprises <strong>and</strong> employees<br />
to support employment in a context of <strong>ageing</strong>. Older employees <strong>and</strong><br />
employersʼ representatives (senior/human resources management) were<br />
interviewed. The purpose was to gather information about the age structure<br />
of each enterprise <strong>and</strong> the personnel (development) policy. Employees were<br />
asked about their working biography, a vocational self-assessment <strong>and</strong> their<br />
future employment careers.<br />
In small enterprises visited in Thuringia hardly any systematic <strong>and</strong> mediumterm<br />
measures to sustain employability of older workers exists, but<br />
individual-related arrangements are practised. Almost all human resources<br />
managers were keen to keep older employees at the enterprise. Since SMEs<br />
are often unable to benefit from publicly-supported programmes of early<br />
retirement for financial reasons, efforts are frequently made to avoid<br />
redundancies by finding alternative employment opportunities for older<br />
employees that no longer fit certain physical job requirements. Older<br />
employees have almost always been with the enterprise for many years –<br />
human resources managers feel they have a social obligation towards them.<br />
The main positive factors mentioned for keeping these employees in the<br />
enterprise are their highly developed problem-solving skills, multifunctional<br />
aptitude <strong>and</strong> great flexibility about working hours. A structural perception of<br />
an <strong>ageing</strong> ʻproblemʼ, which manifests itself in enterprises above all through<br />
changes in the age structure of the overall workforce <strong>and</strong> a drop in the regional<br />
availability of employees for recruitment, is less widespread.<br />
Several interviews with representatives of labour market institutions,<br />
members of employers associations <strong>and</strong> training institutes took place to get a<br />
picture of cooperation between enterprises <strong>and</strong> other regional institutions on<br />
employment of <strong>ageing</strong> workers. Based on these interviews (with enterprises,<br />
employees <strong>and</strong> experts) instruments were developed to support SMEs <strong>and</strong><br />
assist training providers in implementing age-driven human resource<br />
development <strong>and</strong> qualification. They were also designed to help employees