Dissertation_Paula Aleksandrowicz_12 ... - Jacobs University

Due to the negligence in the field of education and sectoral and geographical
mismatches, unemployment in Poland is of structural character, while in Western Europe, it
is caused by economic factors and the business cycle (Borkowska et al. 2003: 55). The share
of long-term unemployed, among whom older persons are overrepresented, is higher in
Poland than in Western Europe (ibid: 57). The overall unemployment rate was quite high in
Poland in 2006 (13.9% as compared to 9.8% in Germany and 6% in OECD countries), and
has fallen to 9.8% in 2007 (and to 8.4% in Germany). Still, the unemployment rates in both
countries are higher than the EU-27 average of 7.1 per cent, which poses lower chances for
a successful integration of older persons in the labour market.
Earnings profiles in Germany rise into the 40ties or 50ties and decline afterwards, with
the exception of the public sector (EC 2007: 89; OECD 2005a: 112). In Poland, the seniority
principle in wage formation is strongly developed and has a significantly negative effect on
employment rates of 55-64-year-olds (EC 2007: 90-91).
Poland ranks high with regard to the deployment of older workers in manual
occupations (57%), Germany slightly below the average (46%) (OECD 2005a: 64) which
might inhibit the workability in old age. Poland has a low share of workers aged 50-64 years
of both sexes performing part-time work (between 11.6% and 17.7%), Germany an even
lower share part-time workers among older men (6.3%) (ibid: 66). This poses a barrier to
spreading the practice of gradual retirement and to adjusting work requirements to older
workers´ capacities. The high percentage of older Germany women in part-time work
(46.6%) to some extent reflects their broken careers.
Age discrimination in recruitment and in access to training-on-the-job is frequently
reported by older labour market participants. The share of persons aged 55+ reporting age
discrimination is slightly higher in Germany (close to 6%) than in Poland (close to 4%) or in
EU-25 (4.3%) (EC 2007: 89). This might reflect different stages of awareness with regard to
ageism. A barrier to continued employment is the utilisation of standard or early retirement
age as a condition justifying dismissal, or fixing such terms in the work contract (Kocher
2005: 307; Maniewska 2006).
39 The concept of „further training“ applied in the European LFS encompassed all kinds of education or
training, be it vocational or conducted in the free time, regardless of the financing source (individual,
employer, employment office) in preceding four weeks.
98