The Educator Magazine U.K. Sept-Dec 2022 - Magazine - Page 27
The study, conducted by Institute
for Sociology and Social
Psychology researchers Jana
Mäcken and Lea Ellwardt,
analysed the differences in
voluntary and involuntary labour
market exit between lower and
higher educated workers in 15
European countries.
attractive, stable, high-income, and
healthier working conditions.
They found that in 13 of the 15
countries, people with less educational
qualifications were more likely to leave
the labour market by being let go, or
made redundant, than higher educated
people.
“However, these measures affect older
workers differently based on their level
of education and runs the risk of
exacerbating social inequalities.
This is because increased education
provides individuals with opportunities
to exit the labour market voluntarily
as it is typically associated with more
“The demographic change represents
one of the greatest financial challenges
for European pension systems and, to
counteract this, political measures –
such as raising statutory age, or cutting
early retirement options - have been
adopted in almost all European
countries.
As lower income workers are more likely
to leave the labour market involuntarily,
this could widen the pension gaps after
the end of working lives – this is known
as the social gradient,” says Dr. Jana
Mäcken.
This social gradient was largest in Czech
Republic, Germany and Portugal, and
was the smallest in the Netherlands and
Denmark.
The research reveals that for lower
educated workers, it is more difficult to
reach the new political goal of
extending workers lives.
For this reason, the researchers
suggest policies that provide training
opportunities specifically for
low-educated workers to help reduce
educational inequalities in labour
market.
Furthermore, stricter employment
protection legislation would lead to a
smaller social gradient in involuntary
labour market exit.
The study was published in the Journal of Social Policy.