Research and analysis

Older workers and the workplace: evidence from the Workplace Employment Relations Survey

This research examines the working experiences of older individuals and the effects of changes in age composition on workplace performance.

Documents

Older workers and the workplace: evidence from the Workplace Employment Relations Survey

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Summary: Older workers and the workplace: evidence from the Workplace Employment Relations Survey

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email accessible.formats@dwp.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Details

This quantitative research aims to:

  • better understand the labour market participation of older workers in the UK, including the locations and sectors that older people work in
  • assess the effects of workplace policies and practices on older workers and their experiences
  • evaluate the effects of employing older workers on workplace performance

The research:

  • will add to Fuller Working Lives: evidence base 2017
  • contributes towards filling known evidence gaps, such as the importance of equal opportunities policies for the outcomes of older workers
  • marks the first time that an analysis of the effects of older workers on workplace performance has been conducted using UK data
  • will help the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to identify, promote and implement evidence-backed policies to help employers recruit and retain older workers
  • will feed into Fuller Working Lives: a partnership approach

Authors: Lucy Stokes, Alex Bryson, Helen Bewley and John Forth (National Institute of Economic and Social Research).

The research is part of a suite of 4 Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) research reports contributing to the Fuller Working Lives: evidence base 2017.

The 4 DWP research reports are:

In July 2016, DWP published a new experimental official statistic on the Economic labour market status of individuals aged 50 and over since 1984.

Published 2 February 2017