The Health of Older Workers – Implications for Future Labour Participation 11 th Global Conference of the International Federation of Aging 28 May to 1 st June, 2012 Dr Jennifer Buckley Dr Lisel O’Dwyer Professor Graeme Hugo University of Adelaide, Australian Population and Migration Research Centre

Overview Rationale for the study Project overview Methods Baby boomers’ labour participation in context Health and workforce attachment Workplace environments Implications for Policy and Research

Population Ageing in Australia Projected Population Aged Under 15 Years, Australia, Projected Population Aged 65 Years and Over, Australia, Source: ABS, Catalogue No , 2003, p85

Rationale for the Study Fewer new entrants to labour market Increase and extend labour participation in older age groups Health – underpins labour market capacity Health research – disease/disability/burden on health system Work-related research – skills training and workplace management Need for more research on the health/work

Project Overview ‘Australia’s Baby Boomer Generation: Obesity and Work – Patterns, Causes and Implications’ Key objective – explore interactions between health and work Aim – provide a health perspective for work-related policies on older workers Baby boomers – A distinct policy group – Amplify the effects of population ageing – Significant impact as they exit the workforce Today’s presentation – preliminary exploration of data

Methods Labour Participation Data - Census data 1981 and 2006; ABS Labour Force Surveys Health & Work Data - North West Adelaide Health Study (NWAHS) (n=4060)

Geographical Context

Data and Study Population Labour Participation Data - Census data 1981 and 2006; ABS Labour Force Surveys Health & Work Data - North West Adelaide Health Study (NWAHS) (n=4060) Sample - Baby Boomers born drawn from the NWAHS NWAHS Data - Stage 1, ; Stage 2, ; Stage 3, 2010  Stage 2, (n=1195)  Baby Boomer Work Project, 2011 (BBs n=874; Gen X n=768) Analyses By all baby boomers By gender By older ( ) and younger ( ) baby boomers Data Chronic conditions – clinic and self report Social data and self-rated health - Self repor ted

Trends in Participation of Older Workers Age Groups: 55-59; 60-64; 65+ Source: ABS Labour Force Surveys

Employment Status Year Olds in 1981 and 2006 Source: ABS Census, 1981; 2006b

Employment Status Baby Boomers Source: NWAHS TFU Survey 2 (CATI), 2007

Factors Influencing Labour Participation in Older Workers Age discrimination Lack of access to re-training Personal commitments Financial security Desire for more leisure Low education levels

Education by Age Cohort and Gender in Baby Boomers and Source: NWAHS Stage 2, % 5.4% 20.2% 8.8 %

Employment Status Females by Age Cohort and Education Level – NWAHS Baby Boomers and Note: Retired, unemployed and ‘other’ categories excluded. Source: NWAHS Stage 2,

Employment Status Females by Education Level – Census Baby Boomers and Source: ABS 2006 Census (Australia) (ABS 2006c)

Employment by Self-Rated Health Baby Boomers *p<.05; **p<.001 Source: NWAHS TFU Survey 2 (CATI), 2007 ** *

Labour Participation and Self-Rated Health by Age Cohort Baby Boomers and In the labour force=f/time, p/time, casual, unemployed; 2 Not in the labour force=retired, home duties, unable to work **p<.001 Source: NWAHS TFU Survey 2 (CATI), 2007 **

Percentage of Each Employment Category with Selected Chronic Conditions Baby Boomers Source: NWAHS Stage 2, ; NWAHS TFU Survey 2 (CATI), 2007

Odds Ratios for Reporting Not In the Labour Force by Chronic Condition and Age Cohort Baby Boomers and *p<.05; Source: NWAHS TFU Survey 2 (CATI), 2007 ** 5.4 * 2.1 * 2.4 * 2.2 * 3.3 * 2.6

Odds Ratios for Reporting Not in the Labour Force by Chronic Condition and Gender Baby Boomers *p<.05; **p<.001 Source: NWAHS TFU Survey 2 (CATI), 2007 ** 3.1 * 2.8 * 3.7 * 2.8 * 2.0 ** 4.4 * % 8.8%

Variable Work Conditions &Self-Rated Health Baby Boomers *p<.05; Source: NWAHS TFU Survey 2 (CATI), 2007 ** 3.1 * 2.8 * 3.7 * 2.8 * 2.0 ** 4.4 * 2.7 *

Self-Rated Health and Job Strain Baby Boomers **p<.001 Source: NWAHS Work Data (CATI), 2011 **

Job Satisfaction and Self-Rated Health Baby Boomers *p<.05; Source: NWAHS Work Data (CATI), 2011 * *

Flexibility and Job Satisfaction Baby Boomers **p<.05 Source: NWAHS Work Data (CATI), 2011 *

Variability and Job Satisfaction Baby Boomers ^ p=<.1 Source: NWAHS Work Data (CATI), 2011 ^

Satisfaction with Work-Life Balance by Self-Rated Health Baby Boomers ** *p<.001; Source: NWAHS Work Data (CATI), 2011

Co-worker Support in the Workplace – ‘People I work with are helpful in getting the job done’ Baby Boomers *p<.001; Source: NWAHS Work Data (CATI), 2011 **

Workplace Support for Healthy Behaviours by Self Rated Health Baby Boomers Source: NWAHS Work Data (CATI), 2011

Future Research Interface between depression and employment status Workforce exit decisions of older workers with chronic conditions Workplace Interventions to facilitate better health

Implications for Policy Impact of poor health on workforce exits – 44% of older boomers with poor SRH NILF = 9.9% of this sub-cohort – 18.2% of younger boomers with poor/fair SRH NILF = 3.4% of this sub-cohort Primary and secondary prevention strategies Workplace policies and culture Labour market conditions

Contact Details and Acknowledgments Acknowledgements This project was funded by an Australian Council Research Linkage Grant Contact Details Jennifer Buckley

Australia’s GDP per capita in 2009 was around $ billion