Part-time work among older workers with disabilities in Europe.
OBJECTIVE
To analyse the use of part-time work among older workers with disabilities compared with their non-disabled counterparts within a European context.


METHODS
Cross-sectional.


METHODS
Data were drawn from the 2004 Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. The key advantage of this dataset is that it provides a harmonized cross-national dimension, and contains information for European individuals aged 50 years or over on a wide range of health indicators, disability, socio-economic situation, social relations, etc.


RESULTS
Older people with disabilities (aged 50-64 years) are more likely to have a part-time job compared with their non-disabled counterparts. Although there is an important employment gap between the two groups, many older workers with disabilities use part-time work to achieve a better balance between their health status and working life. The econometric analysis corroborated that being disabled has a positive effect on the probability of working on a part-time basis, although this effect varies by country.


CONCLUSIONS
Policy makers must encourage part-time employment as a means of increasing employment opportunities for older workers with disabilities, and support gradual retirement opportunities with flexible and reduced working hours. It is crucial to change attitudes towards older people with disabilities in order to increase their labour participation and reduce their levels of poverty and marginalization.
Faculty of Economics, Departamento de Economía Aplicada (Estructura Económica), University of Malaga, Plaza de El Ejido s/n, Malaga, Spain. rpr@uma.es
R
R
Pagán
D000367:Age Factors; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling