Dynamics Of Self Employment Among Older Workers

Baby boomers, who were born between 1946 and 1964, are entering their retirement years. Since rates of self-employment rise with age, a disproportionate share of the self-employed is composed of middle aged or older workers. Some of these workers have bee

Many developed countries are facing a demographic change with an increasing share of older individuals, yet little is known about how older workers will impact regional and national economies in terms of labor market dynamics. This Handbook deals with the important and emerging field of entrepreneurship among this group and focuses on the behavioral perspectives of this phenomenon; on innovation, dynamics and performance; and the ways entrepreneurship among the elderly looks within different countries.

Since the 1970s the long term decline in self-employment has slowed – and even reversed in some countries – and the prospect of ‘being your own boss’ is increasingly topical in the discourse of both the general public and within academia. Traditionally, self-employment has been associated with independent entrepreneurship, but increasingly it has become a form of precarious work. This book utilises evidence-based information to address both the current and future challenges of this trend as the nature of self-employment changes, as well as to demonstrate where, when and why self-employment has emerged as precarious work in Europe.

The experience of an abrupt and often premature departure from work can leave individuals feeling disoriented and can prevent their valuable economic potential from being tapped. This report, published in association with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, explores the possibilities of more flexible forms of work that bridge the gap between a steady career job and retirement. It examines such jobs in the wider context of the types of transition that are being made by people retiring early and makes recommendations for future retirement policy in the UK.

This book presents a collection of nine studies which contribute to a more robust and richer understanding of entrepreneurship, self-employment and retirement in a diversity of settings, including the Netherlands, Canada, the United Kingdom, Singapore and the US, by drawing on both qualitative and quantitative data.

USA. Research report on employment opportunities and age discrimination against older workers, especially woman workers, minority groups, and rural workers - examines the population dynamics likely to influence the size and characteristics of the older worker population to the year 2000, discusses educational level, health status (ageing) etc., Early retirement and delayed retirement, social security, management attitude and job adaptation and includes selected foreign programmes and policies. Bibliography pp. 125 to 138. References and statistical tables.