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An examination of the active labour market adjustment approaches implemented in various countries has revealed that there is seemingly no consistency in the labour market participation rates of older workers across the countries examined. In Japan and Sweden, for example, up to 90% of individuals aged 55 to 65 are active members of the labour force, compared to almost 50% in Canada, and as few as 40% in France and the Netherlands. 

The variance in participation rates of older individuals among these countries has been attributed in part to the different labour market policy directions adopted. Countries with higher participation rates tend to emphasize active employment-related measures over longer term financial support, particularly with respect to older individuals.

Canada has adopted a mixed approach to providing adjustment assistance to older individuals which employs both active and passive measures. This strategy has resulted in an older worker participation rate corresponding to about the average rate among the countries examined in this study. 

Overall, it appears that programs for older worker adjustment have met with some degree of success, but that this success depends on the economic and political objectives being sought. For instance, income support measures were found to be an effective means of ensuring the financial security of older workers or improving the labour market adjustment process by encouraging early withdrawal. However, these measures have also been found to discourage the re-employment of beneficiaries, and would thus not be appropriate where full employment among older workers is desired.

The review of the literature clearly demonstrates that older individuals face a number of employment barriers that their younger counterparts do not experience, and that these barriers frequently result in their becoming discouraged with respect to their re-employment prospects. The evidence suggests that initiatives for older job-seekers which build self-esteem and confidence through intensive, local and peer-based support and guidance, help older clients overcome their sense of insecurity and pessimism, and encourage these individuals to undertake job search activities with more confidence and perseverance. As well, job placement components have been shown to be a critical aspect of successful re-employment programs. Programs that focus on the interests of older participants, or which contain motivational strategies, have also been associated with higher placement rates for these clients.

There is also an indication that the success of a program is dependent on its ability to recognize and address the individual needs and circumstances of older workers. While certain older individuals wish to remain full-time members of the labour force, others prefer early retirement, and still others favour approaches that provide a gradual withdrawal from the labour market. These preferences may be ranked differently for those workers aged 45 to 54 when compared to those workers aged 55 to 64. In order to address the diversity of needs represented by older workers, future research and evaluations would benefit from collecting data on these two groups, in order to understand better their similarities and differences. Moreover, with a common definition of who is an older worker, future evaluations will be able to compare data across programs and policies. 

The intention of this review was to derive lessons from the experiences of a wide range of workforce adjustment programs involving older workers; keeping in mind the growing importance of older workers in any future economy. It is hoped that the lessons presented in this report will inform and help stimulate future debate on policies and programs designed for this rapidly expanding segment of the workforce. What needs to be stressed again, is the importance of this topic to all Canadians, regardless of their age. While change seems to have become a constant in our modern-day lives, the one sure thing that we can count on is the fact that the Canadian workforce is getting older, and will continue to do so for the next two decades. No amount of technology will change that. In honour of the International Year of Older Persons, it’s time for governments and employers across Canada to welcome this reality, in order to make life better, not only for the older worker of today, but for the older worker of tomorrow as well.