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Gunter Grittmann
Head of Information and Communication
E-mail: grittmann@zew.de
Phone: +49 (0)621-1235-132
Fax: +49 (0)621-1235-255
Kathrin Böhmer
Public Relations Officer
E-mail: boehmer@zew.de
Phone: +49 (0)621-1235-103
Fax: +49 (0)621-1235-255
Appropriately equipped workplaces, reduced working hours and performance requirements, mixed-age work teams, general training, specific training as well as part-time work for older employees: these are some of the measures more and more companies rely on in order to retain older employees. The companies’ efforts are increasing against the background of demographic ageing and the foreseeable shortage of skilled labour. A study conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim is now putting these measures to the test for the first time. One of the study’s results is that mixed-age work teams are the only measure leading to a longer employment period. Part-time work, on the contrary, is apparently even reducing the employment period of older staff, and all the other measures listed above have no influence at all on older employees' decisions to stay with their company. read more
Older employees assess the return of their training measures lower than younger employees in German companies. Although companies spend approximately the same amount of money per participant on the training of older employees as on the training of younger employees, they do not adequately take into consideration the specific interests and preferences of older employees. Therefore, the investments in training do not pay off as much as they could. These are the findings of a current study by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim. read more
The percentage of older staff members in the total number of employees in German companies has been continually increasing for the last few years. To avoid losses in productivity, many firms already rely on personnel measures, specifically designed for older employees. There is a good reason for this. Older staff members are considerably more productive when working in teams with younger colleagues and when having an age-appropriate equipment of their work place and tasks appropriate for their strengths. These are the main findings of a study conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW). read more
In the three months before the reduction of the maximum entitlement length of unemployment benefits for older unemployed became effective in February 2006, the number of unemployed people sometimes doubled. This is the finding of a study published today, which was conducted by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) and the University of Nottingham. read more
In an international comparison, job market participation of older professionals in Germany is quite low. At times it has been suggested that this fact may be accounted for by a somewhat low esteem in the general appraisal of such employees by personnel managers. A recent study however, conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim, Germany, finds that this does not hold true. read more