The Evaluation of Employment Policies for Older Adults in the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia

Abstract

Adults aged 65 and above comprise the fastest growing sector of the world's population. In the context of increasing numbers of older adults, employment policies have become a prominent issue. Governments recognize the importance of increasing participation in working age population and providing them with equal workplace opportunities. Yet, it appears that policies raising employment rates of older adults have become a slogan that governments use for election purposes, but the reality is different. In the groundbreaking report "Working Better with Age: Poland" prepared by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (2015), Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia belong to a group of countries where the increase in the employment rate of older adults is well below the OECD average. The objective of our critical review is to evaluate current employment policies for older adults, including but not 70limited to healthy work conditions, age management strategies, employment services for older workers, and strategies implemented to prevent age discrimination, in these three countries. This article also discusses the reasons for the reduction in the employment of older adults, the current barriers in employing older adults that require governments' attention, and suggests solutions for creating an age-friendly labor market that can effectively make use of older adults' competencies. Employment rates for people of different ages are significantly affected by government policies with regard to higher education, pensions, and retirement age.

The Issue of Active Ageing and Active Old Age in the Education and Social Policy of Slovakia, Germany and Spain

“…The research team observed the social context of education for older adults, their connection to working life, as well as the system and methods of education for older adults in the V4 countries (Kocianová et al, 2013). M. Leszko and B. Bugajska (2017) carried out another comparative study focused on comparing the policies of employment of older adults in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland. Preparation of Europeans for retirement was the topic of research within the Erasmus+ project called BALL -Be Active Through Lifelong Learning (2015).…”