Cited by 507Retirement, Disability, and EmploymentOccupational Health and Safety in WorkplacesWorkplace Health and Well-being

Aging workers

Open access
Ilmarinen, Juhani E·2001·Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Abstract

hronological aging starts at birth and ends at death.Therefore, anyone in the work force (15-64 years of age) can be considered an aging worker.However, the definition of an aging worker is generally based on the period when major changes occur in relevant work related functions during the course of work life.Functional capacities, mainly physical, show a declining trend after the age of 30 years, and the trend can become critical after the next 15-20 years if the physical demands of work do not decline.On the other hand, workers' perceptions of their ability to work indicate that some of them reach their peak before the age of 50 years, and five years later about 15-25% report that they have a poor ability to work, mainly those workers in physically demanding jobs but also those in some mentally demanding positions. 1Therefore, the ages of 45 or 50 years have often been used as the base criterion for the term "aging worker".The main reason for the "early" definition of aging among workers from the occupational health point of view is that it gives better possibilities for preventive measures.The need for early action has been emphasised by the low participation rates of workers who are aged 55 years or older and by the early exit of this age group from work life all over the world.

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  • One reason for the 40+ categorization is that it gives time to take proactive measures.

    “One reason for this categorization is that it gives time to take proactive measures [81].”

    From A scoping review of the incentives for a prolonged work life after pensionable age and the importance of "bridge employment" (2018) · cites this paper as [81]

    The section on defining an aging worker says that an early definition gives better opportunities for preventive measures. It identifies 45 or 50—not 40—as the ages often used for that definition, so it does not support the specific 40+ categorization. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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Authors
Ilmarinen, J. E.
Affiliations
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FI)
Corresponding author
Ilmarinen, Juhani E
Venue
Occupational and Environmental Medicine
Publisher
BMJ
Published
2001-08-01
Volume
58
Issue
8
Pages
546-546
ISSN
  • 0007-1072 (ISSN-L)
  • 1351-0711
  • 1470-7926
OpenAlex
W4242039003
Cited by
504
References
9
Citations by year
2026: 23 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 31 · 2020: 28 · 2019: 34 · 2018: 32 · 2017: 33 · 2016: 35 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 22 · 2013: 30 · 2012: 23
FWCI
5.64
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Occupational and Environmental Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Demography › Retirement, Disability, and Employment
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Occupational Health and Safety in Workplaces
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Workplace Health and Well-being
Keywords
older workers, work ability, early retirement, work participation, physically demanding jobs, occupational health prevention
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Aging, Demography, Employment, Humans, Middle Aged, Global Health, Workload, Age Distribution

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