Dissertation_Paula Aleksandrowicz_12 ... - Jacobs University

Table 13: Country values on demand-side variables which have a positive impact on
the prolongation of working life
Variable Germany Poland
high share of services, low share of agriculture + –
high educational level of prime-aged workers + +
high educational level of older persons + –
high further training quotas of older persons – –
low unemployment rate – –
low-developed seniority principle in wage formation + –
low share of older workers in manual occupations + –
high incidence of part-time work of older workers + –
low perception of ageism – +
frequent rating of health as “(very) good” + –
long further life expectancy at 60 + –
long healthy life expectancy – +
RESULT 8 + / 4 3 + / 9
Explanations: The positive signs indicate that the variable in question applies in the given country
context, the negative signs indicate that the variable does not apply.
The ´low´ and ´high´ values are defined in relation to EU-25, EU-27 or OECD average (with the
exception of “healthy life expectancy, for which no comparative data was available) based on data
available in spring 2008.
Table 13 shows that Poland has more socio-economic barriers to the prolongation of
working life both in comparison to Germany, as well as in relation to socio-economic
opportunities. That strengthens the message of hypothesis 6 (see section 3.4.1.) – also when
socio-economic determinants of early exit are taken into consideration, Germany is better
positioned in order to overcome the early exit trend than is Poland.
3.4.4. Conclusions
In the comparative institutional chapter 3.4., I have analysed barriers and opportunities
to the prolongation of working life stemming from supply-side determinants of early exit in
Poland and Germany. We have learnt that both countries set incentives in the 1970s and
1980s to exit early. Those policies have resulted “in a self-fulfilling prophecy regarding the
attitudes, aspirations and motivations of older workers” (Taylor 2006: 85). First attempts at
a reversal were made two decades after, with the help of more strict rules for granting
disability pensions, malus rules for taking up early retirement pensions, and active labour
market policies. Pension reforms have had effects on raising the employment rates of older
workers in Germany but not yet in Poland, while the effect of active labour market policies
has been small (inter al. owing to their low popularisation in Germany, and their narrow
extent in Poland).
Although there is a declared political will in both countries to reverse the early exit
trend, the mode of policy-making has been very inconsistent, which by itself serves as
incentive to early exit. The low replacement rate, as an incentive to continue working, is a
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