oa Af- en toename van arbeidspotentieel als beleidsthema. Leeftijdgericht arbeidsmarktbeleid in organisatie-intern perspectief

De- and increase of the labour force as a subject of policy. Ageing-related labour market policy from an organisational perspective.

The Netherlands, like many other Western countries, are used to a long tradition of pension policies opting for 65 as the standard retirement age, but from the eighties of the last century a massive number of older workers retired early opening positions for younger workers: a replacement policy to cope with unemployment. This early retirement policy reduced the amount of workers available for the labour market, but the influence on the proportion of working and non-working people was not significant. That changed dramatically because of recent demographic developments. As a reaction to the increasing ageing of the population the government is taking several decisions which have to promote working longer. However, the impact at organisational level is modest, although many companies are concerned with new older worker policies. Recent research findings offer an overview of responsible causes: especially the role of the managers of older workers is very important. Reflecting on the status quo this contribution will finish with three possible scenario’s for the future: 1 the repression scenario, raising obstacles to hinder early retirement; 2 the seduction scenario, creating attractive conditions to work longer; 3 the differentiation scenario, meeting the age-related interpersonal differences in employment opportunities and restrictions.