Dissertation_Paula Aleksandrowicz_12 ... - Jacobs University

conducive towards the prolongation of working life) and supported with regard to Poland. 36
The chances for Germany for a sustainable reversal of the early exit trend are higher than for
Poland. A point in Poland´s favour is a quicker rise of the exit age since 2001.
The European Commission (2007: 113-4) argues in the same line. With regard to the
Stockholm target, its fulfilment by Poland and EU-25 is deemed unlikely by 2010 but
possible by 2013. The Barcelona target will not be reached by any EU country in near time.
3.4.3. Structural Demand-side Factors
Beside of institutional factors, structural factors (in the meaning of socio-economic,
demand-side orientated or push factors) were included as mediators in the original model
(Fig. 3 in section 3.1.). I will present the most important structural factors which will allow
me to place the conclusions from the preceding institutional chapters in a broader
framework and to restrict or supplement the analytical value of hypothesis 6.
Germany is better positioned with regard to the sectoral distribution of older workforce,
as Table 11 shows. Services are an expanding sector, which benefits older workers,
especially older women (EC 2007: 88; Schömann 2006: 128). Employment in the service
sector raises the chances of older workers to stay on the job. 37 Still, the service sector in
Germany is slightly underdeveloped compared to EU-15 average (Schömann 2006: 129-
130). In Poland, a worrying matter is the still high share of workers of all ages employed in
agriculture despite the reductions from an even higher level (one third of workers) since
1980. Moreover, workers of pre-retirement age dominate in that declining sector
(http://www.doradcaprow.pl/prow/index.php?gid=84).
36 The second part of hypothesis 6 on the impact of organisational factors will be tested on basis of
establishment-level studies in the empirical section 4.
37 Admittedly, also service workers experience risks to health, which may diminish their chances for continued
employment (Jansen/Müller 2000), especially nursing staff or persons employed in the transportation sector
(Behrens 1999: 82-83). Nevertheless, services show on average a prevalence of low-strain work organisations,
and are characterised by a higher grade of autonomy (European Foundation 2008: 40); the self-employed and
service workers retire later than civil servants and manufacturing workers (Esser 2005: 14).
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