Older workers

Abstract

As the population ages, there is increasing attention to the occupational health of older workers and the relationship between work and aging. There are both positive and negative factors that characterize differences between older and younger workers. Some of these are well documented, but many are based on stereotypes about competence, knowledge, and work capacity. Workers meet the demands of work through the use of a combination of resources, including physical, mental, and social capacities as well as motivation and experience. While older workers do have decreased physical capacities and somewhat slower mental processing, motivation and expertise can provide important balance. Factors that make advancing age into a handicap are mostly related to working conditions that impose constraints that outstrip actual human capabilities and work organization that denies employees growth in their jobs.