Content and Objectives

The extent of the social challenges arising in Germany from the impending retirement of the baby boomers also depends to a large extent on how the employment of older people and thus the general working life will change in the future. Calculations on working life carried out in this research project allow detailed insights into the distribution of working life of different age groups according to birth cohorts and calendar years. Comparative analyses of birth cohorts provide important insights from a cohort perspective, whereas a major advantage of developments by calendar year is the longer availability of time series. Conceptually, the analysis of working life combines economic and demographic aspects in one indicator, which takes a different perspective to the frequently encountered analysis of the development of employment rates, for example. An important feature of the analyses is the weighting of employment rates with the normal weekly working hours. This aspect is important, for example, in the discussion about labour potential (keyword: part-time work).

In the context of a rising statutory retirement age and the increase in employment among older people, it is important to keep an eye on socio-economic differences in employment behaviour. Calculations based on microcensus data from 1996 to 2019 for Germany document a universal increase in the working life of 55 to 64-year-olds born between 1941 and 1955 for all groups analysed (differentiated by gender, place of residence East/West and education or occupation). Initial results of ongoing analyses on the development of working life by calendar year (1991-2021) show significant declines among younger people (15-24 years), increases among older people (55-74 years) and different developments in middle age (25-54 years) by region and gender. At European level, comparisons of trends in working life and healthy life expectancy - defined according to various health aspects - show a heterogeneous picture; there is still potential for longer labour market participation among 60- to 69-year-olds. In addition to observations of labour market participation, analyses of unpaid work and its change over time are also being sought. Data from the Federal Statistical Office's Time Use Survey allows, for example, the analysis of household activities, care and education work for children and other family members, as well as voluntary work. Research activities are currently focussed on Germany. There, the baby boomers are just reaching retirement age. Further comparative analyses with other countries are also planned for the future.