Results indicate that Chileans working into old age face precarious jobs with limited protection and several adverse working conditions. Noteworthy, women carry the double burden of paid and unpaid work into their late years. In addition, results suggest they are affected more profoundly by the healthy worker effect whereby the health condition determines the probability of finding and keeping a job-also known as a health selection mechanism-which increases as they age. These employment and working conditions indicate that working into old age is not yet sustainable in Chile and counts as evidence that needs to be taken into account in discussions about delaying the retirement age in the country, as well as incorporating support systems to alleviate the double work burden of ageing working women.

Resumen: Nuestra sociedad está envejeciendo, muchas personas se verán obligados a trabajar hasta avanzada edad. Desde el punto de vista laboral, se requieren de políticas públicas inclusivas de la fuerza laboral a medida que envejece ofreciendo oportunidades de capacitación y fomento del empleo. Este estudio exploratorio analizó la oferta de los programas vigentes del Servicio Nacional de Capacitación y Empleo respecto a si promueven o no la inclusión de trabajadores mayores. Se realizó una caracterización de los programas considerando antigüedad, focalización, presupuesto, población objetivo, rango etario, periodo de gobierno. Se clasificaron de acuerdo a su grado de inclusión en: no inclusivos, parcialmente inclusivos e inclusivos. De los trece programas analizados solamente cinco son realmente inclusivos. Se propone revisar los demás programas de modo de buscar ajustes o cambios que pudieran ampliar su grado de inclusión, en pos de mayor equidad para las personas de toda edad en nuestro país.Palabras clave: Trabajo, formación, ciclo de vida, análisis documental.Public policy on training and employment in Chile: Inclusion / exclusion of an aging workforce Abstract: Our society is aging, many people will be forced to work until old age. From a labor standpoint, inclusive public policies of the workforce are required as it grows old by offering training and employment promotion opportunities. This exploratory study analyzed the offer of the current programs of the National Service of Training and Employment as to whether or not they promote the inclusion of older workers. A characterization of the programs was carried out considering seniority, targeting, budget, target population, age range, Polis, Revista Latinoamericana, Nº 48, 2017, p. 81-106

IntroductionEmployment conditions are key determinants of health at all ages. In Chile almost 13% of workers are aged 60 or more, and the pension system is currently experiencing a severe coverage crisis resulting in insufficient income-replacement rates. It has been recommended that retirement age should be postponed and the work of the elderly encouraged, while guaranteeing quality employment for them. The main objective of this study is to describe the sociodemographic characteristics and employment conditions of ageing workers in Chile.MethodsDescriptive analysis were conducted with data from the Chilean active population survey (2010 & 2014). Subjects were divided into 5-year age groups to describe their labour market participation and employment conditions.ResultsRates of occupation decrease sharply after age 54 in women and 59 in men. Occupation rates are markedly lower in men with less than elementary education, but equate that of other groups by age 60–64. In women, there is a marked educational gradient which wears off by age 65. While the proportion of women in the workforce decreases with age, that of less educated workers increases.Both older women and men who continue to work do so at a greater extent than younger workers as own-account workers, in small companies in the private sector, in households in the case of women and, especially in the case of women, without a contract. Precarious employment conditions also tend to increase as workers age.ConclusionsLabour market participation of ageing workers in Chile is characterised by jobs that tend to exhibit greater levels of informality and employment precariousness. Increasing labour market participation of elder workers will require adequate instruments to protect their employment conditions in order to preserve their health and ability to work.

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