
































05_Urmanavicius


 
 

European Journal of Social Impact and Circular Economy - ISSN: 2704-9906  
DOI: 10.13135/2704-9906/5511 Published by University of Turin http://www.ojs.unito.it/index.php/ejsice/index 
EJSICE content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License   

48 

PERSPECTIVES OF OLDER EMPLOYEES 
IN CHANGING LABOUR MARKET 
justas Urmanavicius1 

1 Independent Researcher, Lithuania. 
 
E-mail: adebisiurp120385@futa.edu.ng 
 
Received: 01/02/2021 
Accepted for publication: 03/11/2021 
Published: 12/11/2021 

Abstract 

Due to an ongoing increase in the average life expectancy and a decrease in the average birth rate, there are less active people 
that are of working age in the labor market. However, this year's Covid-19 pandemic highlighted that older workers are much 
more vulnerable in an ever-changing labor market. It is therefore essential to analyze how employers create working conditions 
for more senior employees during a pandemic. As well as the employment opportunities of older workers in the longer term. 
Applied methods of analysis: scientific literature and analysis of various documents, interviews, and analysis of the research 
results, their interpretation. The study found that older employees had difficulty adapting to changed working conditions and 
faced a higher risk of health issues. The article thus showed that existing stereotypes among employers limit the employability 
of older people. 

 

Keywords: Work; Aging; Older employees; Workers; Labor market; COVID-19. 

 

1. Introduction 

Demographic, cultural and economic changes, as well as the health system's progress, led to the changes in the structure of 
society while declining birth rates and higher life expectancy resulted in increase of the share of older people in many countries. 
Furthermore, improving quality of life and longer life expectancy increases the number of elderly population in society. The 
share of the retirement-age population grows, and the number of working-age populations declines due to the ageing society, 
thus challenging the state's labor market.  The European Employment Strategy states that there is a need to promote employment 
accessibility for all those who can participate in the work activity and emphasize that the increase of personal abilities for life-
long participation in the labour market is one of Europe's strategic objectives (Europe 2020, COM (2010). Thus, it seeks to 
ensure positive interaction between economic, employment and social policy measures by promoting long-term and continuous 
participation in the work activity and providing conditions to remain active in the labor market.  Employment and active 
participation of elderly population are considered the main objectives of the EU labor market policy. In order to implement the 
objectives mentioned above, it is essential to ensure good mental and physical health of an elderly population, to apply more 
flexible retirement system, to create the most suitable working conditions, to ensure that the elderly would be able to acquire 
new knowledge and skills, to refresh the existing ones, and be provided with equal employment opportunities in the labor 
market.  

From an economic point of view, one of the most important measures to avoid a rise in the share of non-working age 
population is the increase of retirement age. However, this process is extremely negative since pre-retirement age people find 
it difficult to get employed and stay in the existing jobs. It promotes the protection of interests of elderly population in the labor 



 
 

European Journal of Social Impact and Circular Economy - ISSN: 2704-9906  
DOI: 10.13135/2704-9906/5511 Published by University of Turin http://www.ojs.unito.it/index.php/ejsice/index 
EJSICE content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License   

49 

market. Furthermore, the average age of elderly, withdrawing from the labor market does not coincide with the average 
retirement age.  In Lithuania, even 44,8 percent of persons over 50 years old are unemployed (Social report, 2016-2017).  

The Statistics Lithuania publishes the latest demographic trends in Lithuania, which show a further decline of population: 
the number of permanent residents in Lithuania declined by 37,8 thousand or 1,3 percent in 2018, in comparison with 2017. 
Given the presented facts, it is evident that Lithuania is rapidly aging and already has the seventh oldest population in the EU. 
Currently, the median age in Lithuania is 43 – it means that half of the Lithuanian population are older than 43, indicating the 
population aging. The share of elderly population grows, while the share of the working-age population diminishes. While 
comparing, it should be pointed out that the elderly population, i.e., persons over 65 years, accounted for 11 percent of the total 
population in 1990, and in 2018 this number is equal to 23 percent of the total population of Lithuania.  The share of the 
working-age population (15-64 ) of the total population diminished from 67 percent in 1990 down to 62 percent in 2017. If one 
hundred working-age persons maintained 16 elderly persons in 1990, currently, one hundred working-age persons have to 
maintain even 29 older people, therefore, the state must adapt to the changes as mentioned earlier by addressing the issues of 
elderly population in the labor market and providing for proper social policy (The Statistics Lithuania). 

Even in economic growth conditions, when there is a shortage of workers, older people often remain on the margins. In the 
reality of Covid-19, they are at even greater risk of not participating in the world of work and society. Forty-one percent in 
Lithuania, job seekers, are over 50 years old, and one in four of them has been looking for work for more than a year. A 
prolonged job search reduces older people's employability and pushes a person into long-term unemployment, which also has 
long-term psychosocial consequences. 

The influence of the aging population on the labor market is researched by Didžgalvytė and Lukšaitė, (2014). It should be 
noted that Moskvina and Skučienė (2014) analyzed the factors of dismissal from the labor market at elder age that should be 
considered, in order to select legal measures to keep older people included in the labor market.  Meanwhile, theoretical aspects 
of the elderly participants in the labor market were examined by Corsi and Lodovici, (2013), Seltzer and Yahirun, (2013).  
Brazienė and Mikutavičienė, (2015), Skučienė, Bartkus, Moskvina and Uleckienė, (2015), Mikulionienė and Rapolienė (2016) 
looked at the opportunities of older people to be included in the labor market. However, there is a lack of research done on 
COVID-19 impact on older employees in the market. 

This article aims to review the aspects of inclusion of older employees in the labour market and analyze how employers 
create working conditions for senior employees during a pandemic. The following objectives are set to reach the aim: to describe 
the changes in the labour market in the context of ageing population, to identify the factors limiting the employment of older 
persons, and to put forward the recommendations on how to increase the inclusion of older persons in the labour market. The 
following research methods were applied: analysis of scientific literature and documents, key informant interviews, analysis 
and interpretation of the research results. Qualitative research method – survey of expert opinion in the form of a structured 
questionnaire (interview) – was selected for empirical research (Bitinas, Rupšienė, Žydžiūnaitė, 2008). The interview method 
was more appropriate for the same reasons – it was sought to go deep into real and sometimes hidden reasons why elderly 
employees are looked at rather skeptically in the labor market (Baley, 2007).   

 

2. Literature review 

2.1 Changes in the labour market in the process of population ageing 

 
Population aging is a long-term trend that started in Europe several decades ago. It is evident from the changing structure of 

population age and is reflected in the growing share of elderly population, related with decreasing proportion of working-age 
people. It can be argued that this process is not only an actual change of  elderly population – it is a complex process, reflecting 
the relationship of elderly population with the remaining society in the light of increasing life expectancy, and including the 
following age factors: biological (entirety of physiological changes), psychological (individual abilities to adapt his behaviour 
to environmental changes),  social (social norms and roles applied to an individual in respect of his age) (Labanauskaitė, 
Astrauskaitė , Kiyak (2014). In the process of ageing, some of population face difficulties due to biological, psychological, and 
social age, since adaptation in the labour market is affected by all above factors. Therefore, ageing itself cannot be defined only 
as diminished physical powers. It should be noted that population ageing causes the following problems: working-age people 



 
 

European Journal of Social Impact and Circular Economy - ISSN: 2704-9906  
DOI: 10.13135/2704-9906/5511 Published by University of Turin http://www.ojs.unito.it/index.php/ejsice/index 
EJSICE content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License   

50 

are no longer able to generate enough income for pensions: the elderly are forced to work longer and cannot enjoy their 
retirement.  It is projected that the share of elderly population will increase, while the share of youth and working age people 
will decline significantly in EU in the next few decades (European Commission, 2014). Seeking to identify the future trends of 
population ageing, the Eurostat population projections (EUROPOP2015), covering the period from 2015 to 2080, forecast the 
EU population will increase with its peak of 528,6 million in 2050, and thereafter will gradually decline down to 518,8 million 
in 2080. While comparing the age pyramids of 2015 and 2080 (see Figure 1), it might be observed that the share of elderly 
people will continue to increase. Over the next decades, the share of elderly population will significantly grow due to high 
number of baby boomers.   However, it obvious that the shape of this pyramid will transform, becoming similar to rectangle, 
narrowed in the middle (in the age of 45 – 54 years) in 2080. 

 
Figure 1. EU population age pyramids 2016 and 2080 (% of the total population) 

 
Source: Eurostat, 2016 

 
Another important aspect of population ageing is a gradual ageing of the elderly population, since a relative segment of very 

old people grows faster than any other age segment of the EU population. The share of people aged 80 years, or the share of 
elderly people is projected to increase more than double from 5,4 percent to 12,7 percent during the period of 2016–2080 (see 
Figure 2).   

 
Figure 2. EU population by broad age groups 2016–2080 (% of the total population) 

 
Source: Eurostat, 2016 



 
 

European Journal of Social Impact and Circular Economy - ISSN: 2704-9906  
DOI: 10.13135/2704-9906/5511 Published by University of Turin http://www.ojs.unito.it/index.php/ejsice/index 
EJSICE content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License   

51 

While referring to the period of 2016–2080, the share of working-age population is expected to continuously decrease until 
2050, slightly stabilizing later, while the share elderly population is projected to account for an increasing share of the total 
population:  people aged 65 and over will account for 29,1 percent of the EU-28 population in 2080, in comparison with 
19,2 percent in 2016. As a result of the movement of people from one age group to another, the projected EU-28 ageing index 
will increase almost double from 29,3 percent in 2016 to 52,3 percent in 2080 (see Figure 3). The total age-dependency ratio is 
projected to increase from 53,2 percent 2016 to 79,7 percent 2080. 

 
Figure 3. EU population by broad age groups 2016–2080 (% of the total population) 

 
Source: Eurostat, 2016 

 
 
On the basis of the EU projections, it might be argued that the share of people aged 80 or elderly people in the EU population 

will increase more than twice during the period of 2016 – 2080, i.e., from 5,4 percent to 12,7 percent in 2080. People aged 65 
and over will account for 29,1 percent of the EU  population, in comparison with 19,2 percent in 2016.  As a result of the 
movement of people from one age group to another, the projected EU ageing index will increase almost double from 29,3 
percent in 2016 to 52,3 percent in 2080.  In summary, it should be stated that the presented projections stimulate to transform 
both social security and  labour market system with the expectation that the share of the oldest population will grow at a 
particularly high pace in the next decades.  

Population ageing has twofold effect on the structure of labour – the number of elderly employees as well as the number of 
persons, who are no longer able to carry out economic activity, thus, becoming dependent on the social security mechanism, is 
growing (Ambrazevičiūtė, 2014 ). The latter causes financial burden on the working age people, who finance the social 
insurance fund.  The current system of the labour market is adapted to the model where the larger share of population maintains 
the socially supported elderly population. Negative influence of population ageing on the labour market is dealt with increase 
of retirement age and formal reduction of the number of economically inactive people (Okunevičiūtė – Neverauskienė, 2011). 
However, actual number of economically inactive population does not depend solely on the retirement age. Despite threat to 
the changes in the labour market, it is believed that population ageing will not necessarily affect the labour market negatively, 
if certain changes are made.  The conditions of the labour market must be adapted to the socio-demographic changes, focused 
on the labour productivity, quality of the labour force, and labour force participation (Moskvina, Okunevičiūtė –Neverauskienė, 
2011). Considering the negative influence of population ageing on the labour market and the economic stability of the country, 
it should be noted that special measures are required to provide conditions for the longest possible activity of employees in the 
labour market. Although ageing is primarily defined as an entirety of physiological changes, not only physical limitations 
burden elderly people. Namely, the economic activity potential of elderly population can be limited by the following reasons: 
insufficiently flexible employment forms; lack of development of adapted places; limited opportunities of lifelong learning; 
unequal access to healthcare services; lack of measures promoting later retirement ( Kanopienė, Mikulionienė, 2006).  



 
 

European Journal of Social Impact and Circular Economy - ISSN: 2704-9906  
DOI: 10.13135/2704-9906/5511 Published by University of Turin http://www.ojs.unito.it/index.php/ejsice/index 
EJSICE content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License   

52 

While analysing the influence of the labour market on employment of elderly people, the retirement time, the working load, 
the method of retirement (how fast a person moves from part-time work to full retirement, the nature of work before retirement), 
the changes in the labour market, and the causes of retirement should be considered. As it has already been mentioned, the 
motives for retirement are often caused not by physiological changes that prevent from economic activity, but by 
incompatibility of the needs of the labour market and the elderly people. It might be argued that the reasons for early retirement 
of elderly people from the labour market are determined both by employer and employee position. Didžgalvytė, Lukšaitė 
(2014), Nilsson, Bülow, Kazemi (2015) various studies revealed that individual's view towards normal retirement depends on 
the social security system, his financial situation, needs, even on occupation. For example, people, who are engaged in physical 
work, tend to quit earlier because of health problems and reduced physical capacity (Moskvina, Skučienė, 2014). Other reasons 
are related with employer's needs in considering elderly population as more difficult to adapt to the labour market. It should be 
noted that elderly population faces more difficulties in adapting to the labour market due to the following reasons: professional 
and working experience is not in demand under modern economic conditions; lack of information and technological skills; lack 
of foreign language skills; qualification development programmes are targeted at young people; employers' view that elderly 
population is insufficiently energetic, that elderly population often lacks confidence in its forces, often does not want to raise 
its qualification or acquire to speciality; insufficient social partnership fails to implement appropriate representation of elderly 
employees at the company or the state level. ( Lengvinienė, Rutkienė, Tandzegolskienė, 2014). Given these factors, it is 
essential to retain elderly people in the labour market. This requires the measures to protect elderly employees present in the 
labour market. Furthermore, the employees should be encouraged to refresh their skills and to develop their qualification 

 

2.2. Regulation of labour relations in respect of population ageing 

 
A political, economic, social and cultural context of EU has led to the fact that the region of Western and Central Europe 

has experienced one of the most noticeable and earliest population ageing trends. Demographic changes in the Community 
have been driven by both declining birth rates and progress in the health system. Therefore, EU was one of the first to launch 
specific actions to deal with the issues caused by influence of population ageing on the labour market. The EU strategy papers 
state that the longest possible participation in the labour market stimulates the domestic markets, stabilizes the pension fund 
systems, has positive effect on the overall employment, therefore, it is one of the strategic objectives. Looking at the statistics, 
it can be seen that during the period from 2001 to 2010, exit from the labour market was delayed by 1,6 years (women – 1,9, 
men – 1, 3). It evidences about quite successful strategy of retention of elderly employees in the labour market. Therefore, it is 
important to analyse the measures implemented at EU level for changes in labour relations in the context of population ageing. 
Article 147 of Consolidated version of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (2012) states that while solving 
the issues of employment the Union shall encourage cooperation between Member States and support and, if necessary, 
complement their action. Paragraph 1 of Article 153 of the same legislation specifies that the Union shall support and 
complement the integration of persons excluded from the labour market (Consolidated version of the Treaty on the Functioning 
of the European Union. OJ, C326/47 (2012). While analysing the evolution of the EU policy in dealing with the issues of 
population ageing in respect of the labour market, two stages can be distinguished: from founding of the Community in 1957 
to  the Treaty of Amsterdam, and after this Treaty. In the first decades of the Community existence, population ageing was not 
included in any official policy agenda or reflected in any other papers. The Treaty on European Union included the provision 
prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of nationality and gender, but age was not mentioned there. The first period was 
characterized only by declarative documents, which including recommended guidelines to avoid the consequences of 
population ageing. Although the papers, issued during this period, affected the law of the Member States, they did not lead to 
specific binding rules of law of the Community (Ambrazevičiūtė, 2014). Here, the resolution of the European Parliament, 
adopted in 1982, on the situation and problems of the aged in the European Community should be noted. This paper observes 
demographic change that emerges as the composition of population changes by age group, i.e., as the share of elderly population 
increases. With regard to labour law, clause 8 of the resolution was of particular importance, stating that the legal regulation 
where a person is removed from the labour market as he reaches the retirement age is not acceptable in the Community (Council 
Recommendation of 10 December 1982 on the principles of a Community policy with regard to retirement age, OJ 1982, L 
357). It was highlighted that person's exit from the labour market as he reaches the retirement age is his right rather than an 



 
 

European Journal of Social Impact and Circular Economy - ISSN: 2704-9906  
DOI: 10.13135/2704-9906/5511 Published by University of Turin http://www.ojs.unito.it/index.php/ejsice/index 
EJSICE content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License   

53 

obligation imposed by the state. This resolution encouraged the European Council to adopt the Recommendation on the 
principles of a Community policy with regard to retirement age.  The latter emphasized that termination of employment 
relationships should not be based on the fact of retirement, and financial incentives to promote the early retirement may be 
introduced only because of exceptional economic circumstances.  

  While analysing population ageing and the changes in the labour market in the context of regulation of labour relations,  
the Treaty of Amsterdam 1997 is considered as a qualitatively new and progressive step, since the Council gained the 
competence to directly affect the legal systems of the Member States and to take actions in event of discrimination (age is also 
included in the types of discrimination). As the issue of population was declared as one of the most important fields of social 
policy, the European Commission encouraged the cooperation of the Member States in solving this issue at the Community 
level in 1999. Application of employment policy and labour market measures was named as one of the four action fields in the 
document for overcoming the consequences of ageing (Kanopienė, Mikulionienė, 2006). On the basis of the Treaty of 
Amsterdam, on 27th of November, 2000,  the Council Directive 2000/78/EC, regulating the principles of equal treatment in the 
labour market of the Community and targeted towards establishment of equal rights and non-discrimination principles, as well 
as towards promotion of the EU employment policy, was adopted (Council Directive 2000/78/EC of 27 November 2000 
establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation). 

Over the recent decades, the European labour market has been affected by international migration, fast technological 
development, growing dynamism and competitiveness. These changes have led to the necessity to restructure the labour market, 
to improve adaptability of companies and employees by applying the concept of flexicurity, which is based on a combination 
of social security and flexibility. While applying the principles of flexicurity, security guarantees are associated with help for 
improving skills for career development, with possibility to change the work place or retrain rather than with retention in the 
work place (Mačernytė Panomariovienė, 2011).  

Considering the relevance of population ageing, 2012 was announced as the European year for active ageing and solidarity 
between generations. Active ageing was defined as the process of optimising opportunities for health, participation and security 
in order to enhance quality of life as people age. Active ageing is understood as the process allowing to realize the potentials 
for physical, social, and mental well-being (European Parliament and the Council Decision on the European Year for Active 
Ageing and Solidarity between Generations. OJ 2011, L 246/). It should be noted that solidarity between generations is the key 
factor in the labour market. Invaluable experience of elderly employees and skills of youth should be used as an exchange 
program.  Taking into account the relevance of flexicurity in the context of  population ageing, the Communication from the 
Commission "Towards common principles of flexicurity: more and better jobs through flexibility and security", 2007, should 
be mentioned (Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and 
Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Towards Common Principles of Flexicurity: More and better jobs 
through flexibility and security. COM (2007) 359 final). The latter presents the common principles of flexicurity: flexible and 
reliable contractual arrangement, modern labour laws, collective agreements, modern labour organization; implementation of 
comprehensive lifelong learning strategy, improving the adaptability and employability of workers;  effective and active labour 
market policy, reducing unemployment spells and easing the transition periods; social security measures that encourage 
employment and facilitate labour market mobility.  It might be stated that this Communication encouraged the Baltic countries 
to restructure the labour market in the way that social security would be associated with opportunities to adapt in the labour 
market rather than with retention of a working place. In other words, the guarantees of employment rather than of labour market 
should prevail.   

In Lithuania, one of the most important aspects of the principle of non-discrimination in the labour market and other fields 
is primarily regulated in the main document of the country, i.e., the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, the Article 29 
whereof states that "all persons shall be equal before the law, courts, and other state institutions and officials. Human rights 
may not be restricted; no one may be granted any privileges on the grounds of gender, race, nationality, language, origin, social 
status, belief, convictions, or view" (The Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, Official Gazette 33, 1014 (1992). 
Meanwhile, Article 48 of the Constitution is more relevant in the context of labour. It specifies that "everyone may freely 
choose a job or business, and shall have the right to have proper, safe, and healthy conditions at work, as well as to receive fair 
pay for work and social security in the event of unemployment".   

The legal regulation of Lithuania in addressing the issues of elderly population in the labour market is focused towards 
additional support and implementation of the principle of non-discrimination by age. Considering the real situation, where 



 
 

European Journal of Social Impact and Circular Economy - ISSN: 2704-9906  
DOI: 10.13135/2704-9906/5511 Published by University of Turin http://www.ojs.unito.it/index.php/ejsice/index 
EJSICE content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License   

54 

difficulties in the labour market are faced by people in their fourth or fifth decade, the age limit additional support has been 
decreased.   Relatively strict regulation of the labour market limits the flexibility of employers in making decisions on admission 
and dismissal from work. This, in turn, potentially negatively affects the employment possibilities of the high-risk groups as 
the elderly population. Therefore, more flexible regulation of labour relations, established by the Labour Code, which came 
into effect in 01 07 2017, might be beneficial for older employees. 

3. Methodology 

 
Problem of research – less favourable attitude of employers towards elderly employees is one of the problems hindering the 

integration of elderly population in the labour market. Object of research – integration of elderly population in the labour 
market. Aim of research – to reveal the attitudes of employers in respect of support and inclusion of elderly employees in the 
labour market.   

Objectives of empirical research: 1) to conduct the survey of employers' opinion, which would help to identify the factors 
hindering the inclusion of elderly population in the labour market 2) to propose methods and ways on how to improve inclusion 
and participation of elderly population in the labour market in the future 3) to give preliminary view of Covid-19 impact on 
labour market for elderly employees. Qualitative research method – survey of expert opinion in the form of a structured 
questionnaire (interview) – was selected for empirical research.   

The survey was conducted through a formal interview, i.e., interview with pre-arranged questions that all respondents were 
asked in the same order. This form of interview was selected, seeking to find out the expert opinion about the current situation 
and, by comparing answers, to reveal the expert attitude towards support and inclusion of elderly employees in the labour 
market. In case of this research, the method of interview was more appropriate for the same reasons – it was sought to go deep 
into real and sometimes hidden reasons why elderly employee are looked at rather sceptically in the labour market. Analysis 
and interpretation of qualitative research data requires high objectivity in order to ensure the validity of the research results. 
Data were analysed on the basis of comparative analysis. The informant group consisted of 5 employers – the persons leading 
the companies. The following criteria were applied: experience of management (at least 3), the number of employees (at least 
15).  The aforementioned criteria were selected in order to reflect the attitudes of employers, taking into account the experience 
of managers in management of human resources, and the structure of employees in the companies.  
The prepared questionnaire consists of a group of interrelated questions to be answered by interviewed informants. The 
problem-related questions: How do you evaluate the employment opportunities for elderly persons?   Are there any 
discriminatory provisions for employment of elderly persons?  What are the possibilities for development of qualification and 
retraining?.  

4. Results  

In addition to being more susceptible to contracting COVID-19, older workers face a number of challenges that contribute 
to their likelihood of being laid off from their jobs. The shift to working from home could hurt older employers due to a lingering 
perception that more seasoned workers aren't as tech-savvy as their younger counterparts. The informants were asked to 
comment on the employment opportunities for elderly persons. 

” I usually focus on older people as a guarantor of stability and responsibility. We now notice that the supply of older people 
looking for work is really high. For example, the school and kindergarten catering sector is home to people who have worked 
in luxury restaurants that have had to close due to quarantine, which increases the competence of our company and improves 
the quality of services” 

The respondents emphasized the disadvantages of elderly employees, highlighting that these employees are not sufficiently 
motivated,  would hardly adapt to the existing innovations in the company: "older workers are not flexible, hardly accept 
innovations, resulting in a decrease of work performance", "they find it more difficult to accept new information, they need to 
be motivated to go to training", "elderly employees find it more difficult to adapt to certain innovations, especially information 
technology", "technology is constantly improving in our sector, they hardly adapt to innovations", "do not want to be retrained, 
in order to master new technologies". During the survey, respondents agreed that proper leadership by managers and 
management of organization motivates individuals to change and to adapt to the changes in an organization: "if physical health 
allows, I have not noticed that employees would lose their motivation naturally with age", "our organization does not divide 



 
 

European Journal of Social Impact and Circular Economy - ISSN: 2704-9906  
DOI: 10.13135/2704-9906/5511 Published by University of Turin http://www.ojs.unito.it/index.php/ejsice/index 
EJSICE content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License   

55 

employees to old and young, our team is friendly", "precise tasks and division of work allows for effective use of the age 
difference and right motivation of employees", "age is not very important for motivation, sometimes young people do not want 
anything…", "poor foreign language skills, the older generation is perfect of Russian language, however, the labor market often 
requires good English language skills".  The respondents stated that they would be more cautious about older persons, when 
looking for a new employee, since the named disadvantages of elderly employees include not only physiological changes, but 
also extremely difficult acceptance of technological innovations at work and lack of foreign language skills. However, those 
employers whose attitudes towards elderly employees remain positive are ready to provide opportunities to be retained in the 
labor market.   

It was asked whether the employee's experience is considered an advantage. It has been noticed that none of the informants 
identified age as a direct advantage, however, they were positive about experience and emphasized the personal characteristics, 
which help to adapt and work in a team: "age is not an advantage, however, experience is always a decisive factor when getting 
employed", "experience must be in line with positivity, creativity", "we select employees according to their ability to work in 
a team, communicativeness, responsibility", "we choose according to desire to work, to adapt to the duties, requirements", "it 
is essential that a person would be able to work in team, to have the desire to change and improve", "I have noticed that older 
people are more responsible and diligent in carrying out tasks at work". The informant noted: "People of older generation like 
to emphasize the fact that they are with higher education, however, often the knowledge gained in 1980s, is outdated", "we 
evaluate experience and competencies of the people because we cannot rely solely on a diploma as the knowledge was acquired 
long ago."  

It was sought to find out the attitude of the informants towards older long-term unemployed persons. The majority stated 
that long-term unemployment has negative effect on the person's skills, therefore, these individuals find it hard to adapt in a 
new team, they lack self-confidence, willingness to change and improve: "long-term unemployment shows that a person has 
been refused to be employed by a number of employers for some reasons", "people lose their working skills over a long period 
of time, therefore, I would think good before employing", "it is risky to employ a long-term unemployed person, I would  
employ him, if I knew at least the main causes of long-term unemployment", "if a person could not work because of a good 
reason, I would give him a chance", "it would depend on the position in the company and the reasons that led to long-term 
unemployment." In conclusion, it might be argued that the respondents would go deep into the reasons of long-term 
unemployment and consider the specific situation of these persons.   

While considering the opportunities of elderly employees to be retained in the labour market, the informants stated that they 
would employ the older person, who had completed retraining courses. For some employers, completing courses would serve 
as a proof of motivation, however, a part of them emphasized that it would not be an advantage: "Yes. It would prove that a 
person still has aims, motivation. We would kindly employ this person for the position that does not require much experience"; 
"If these courses are related with company's activities and the person meets other required criteria, we will consider his 
candidacy to the required position"; "We would employ him, however, it would not be an advantage. Maybe, we would impose 
a probationary period to let him show what he is able to do." The informants would agree on training elderly employees if it 
positively affected their productivity. Some employers would like the state to at least partially finance this kind of training: 
"We could not pay for training solely from our funds, it is huge expenses"; "I would like to get the state support not only for 
employing the elderly, but also for retaining and raising the qualification of elderly employees"; "Training is quite expensive, 
but it is better to invest in an employee than to look for a new one." During the interview, the respondents said pointed out that 
they would use the possibility to employ an older person by subsidizing his working place. However, they would employ only 
if an employee met all requirements and this position was required: "Subsidies are very necessary"; "I use subsidies when the 
company's needs meet according to the working place"; "It is the possibility for an older employee to go back to work.". The 
informants stated that compensation of salary expenses is a sufficient incentive to employ an older person, while subsidies 
could also be granted with a probationary period.  
The research revealed a positive attitude towards employment of retirement-age persons, although the informants stated that 
productivity of employees in this age group should be lower, and the possibilities would allow employing only for jobs that do 
not require much skills: "It is nothing bad, if a person has willingness, skills, motivation. It is only welcoming, if he still needs 
activity. I hope the number of these pensioners will increase in the future"; "I have employed some of such people because 
recommendations, knew that they are trustable people"; "The number of learning, active seniors is increasing, therefore,  maybe 
the number of those, who would be active in the labour market, despite of getting a pension, would also grow in the future". It 



 
 

European Journal of Social Impact and Circular Economy - ISSN: 2704-9906  
DOI: 10.13135/2704-9906/5511 Published by University of Turin http://www.ojs.unito.it/index.php/ejsice/index 
EJSICE content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License   

56 

can be argued that there is a positive attitude towards working persons of retirement-age, who are capable to work and are 
required for organization, however, the solutions for staying in the labour market as long as possible require systematic and 
targeted measures, which would be focused on and dedicated for the employees, who are currently active in the labour market 
and will reach their retirement age a few years later.  

5. Conclusion  

Population ageing is a complex phenomenon, defining the relationship of elderly population with the remaining society. 
This process leads to the fact that the difficulties of adaptation in the labour market, caused by biological, psychological and 
social changes, are faced by an increasing share of population.  In Lithuania, there is a lack of a clear public employment 
strategy, therefore the applied solutions are often insufficient and inconsistent, there is a lack of a comprehensive approach to 
the situation, the needs of different groups and the causes of unemployment are underestimated. In order to ensure public 
employment, appropriate targets should be set for the public sector and business organizations, and self-care for those in their 
fifties and older should be encouraged. It is still early to predict outcomes of covid-19 crisis, but health risks for older workers 
already raised their unemployment rates in Lithuania suggesting that some older unemployed workers will stop looking for 
work permanently. 

As Lithuanian population ages, elderly people will account for an increasing share of population, therefore, on the one hand, 
their active inclusion in the labour market will be characterized by ever increasing influence on the public life, on the other 
hand, it will be difficult to discriminate the majority of employees. Thus, the society will have to change the view towards 
elderly employees and understand that there is a need of a full range of measures that would be active before an employee falls 
into the category of high-risk group, related with his age. Attractiveness of elderly population as labour force in the labour 
market may be increased by applying flexicurity principles. Strengthen enforcement of laws particularly in areas that are viewed 
to put elderly employees at a disadvantage.  

The results of the completed research revealed that the employers' attitude towards older employees is determined by 
stereotyped thinking that the elderly does not have sufficient motivation to change, therefore, age affects their decision in the 
process of employee selection. Older persons, working in organizations, are rated quite favourably – especially those with 
experience and wishing to retrain. In most cases, the employer does not select an elderly person due to his lack of knowledge 
or skills rather than due to his age, thus, the support system for elderly population should be so as to help people to stay in the 
labour market as long as possible. Addressing the issue of influence of population ageing on the labour market requires a 
systematic and preventive approach. Therefore, application of some support measures in the labour market should be started as 
soon as possible. The persons, who fall into this age group, should be provided with the opportunities of retraining and 
refreshing their skills. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



 
 

European Journal of Social Impact and Circular Economy - ISSN: 2704-9906  
DOI: 10.13135/2704-9906/5511 Published by University of Turin http://www.ojs.unito.it/index.php/ejsice/index 
EJSICE content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License   

57 

References 

Ambrazevičiūtė, K. (2014). Visuomenės senėjimo įtaka darbo teisinių santykių reguliavime: tarptautinis ir Europos Sąjungos 
požiūris. Teisės problemos 4, 97-110. 

Bailey, C. A. (2007). A guide to qualitative research. SAGE Publications. 
Bitinas, B., Rupšienė, L., Žydžiūnaitė, V. (2008). Kokybinių tyrimų metodologija. Klaipėda. 
Brazienė, R., Mikutavičienė, I. (2015). Diskriminacijos dėl amžiaus raiška Lietuvos darbo rinkoje. Filosofija. Sociologija, 

26(2), 87–98. 
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social 

Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Towards Common Principles of Flexicurity: More and better jobs through 
flexibility and security. COM (2007) 359 final). Available (accessed 09.09.2018): https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/GA/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52007SC0861. 

Consolidated version of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. OJ, C326/47 (2012). Available (accessed 
10.09.2018): https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A12012E%2FTXT. 

Corsi, M.,Lodovici, M. S. (2013). Active Ageing and Gender Equality. Working Paper, 13(004). Université Librede 
Bruxelles – Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management Centre Emile Bernheim. 

Council Directive 2000/78/EC of 27 November 2000 establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment 
and occupation). Available (accessed 10.10.2018): https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32000L0078. 

Council Recommendation of 10 December 1982 on the principles of a Community policy with regard to retirement age, OJ 
1982, L 357). Available (accessed 11.09.2018): https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A31982H0857. 

Didžgalvytė M., Lukšaitė I. (2014). Demografinio senėjimo įtaka ekonominiams rodikliams. Taikomoji ekonomika: 
sisteminiai tyrimai, 8(2).  

Employment and Social Developments in Europe 2015.(2016). European Commission, 2016. CatalogN.: KE-BD-15-001-
EN-N.  

Europe 2020. (2010). A Strategy for Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth. Communication from the Commission . 
Brussels, 3.3.2010 COM (2010) 2020. Available (accessed 10.10.2018): https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/en/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A52010DC2020. 

European Parliament and the Council Decision on the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations. 
OJ 2011, L 246/5). Available (accessed 10.10.2018) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/GA/TXT/?uri=celex:32011D0940. 

Eurostat.  Employment rate bygender, age group 55–64. Available (accessed 10.10.2018): 
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/eurostat/home/. 

Kanopienė V. Mikulionenė S. (2006). Gyventojų senėjimas ir jo iššūkiai sveikatos apsaugos sistemai. Gerontologija, 7(4), 
p. 188 – 200.  

Labanauskaitė, Astrauskaitė, Kiyak (2014). Relationshipship between the Population Aging and the Supply of Services in 
Different Regions in Lithuania. Regional FoRmation and development Studies,  2 (7), 86-98. 

Lengvinienė, S., Rutkienė, A.,Tandzegolskienė, I. (2014). Vyresnio amžiaus žmonių išlikimo darbo rinkoje teoriniai 
aspektai. Profesinis rengimas: tyrimai ir realijos, 25, 128-136. 

Lietuvos pažangos strategija „Lietuva 2030“. (2012). Valstybės žinios, No. 61-3050. 
Lietuvos Respublikos Konstitucija (1992). Valstybės Žinios, No. 33-1014. 
Lietuvos Respublikos socialinių paslaugų įstatymas (2006). Valstybės žinios, No. 17-589. 
Lietuvos Statistikos departamentas. Gyventojai ir socialinė statistika. Socialinė apsauga (pagal ESSPROS). Available 

(accessed 05.10.2018): http://osp.stat.gov.lt/rodikliai21. 
Mačernytė-Panomariovienė, I (2011). „Flexicurity samprata ir  įgyvendinimo galimybės Lietuvos užimtumo politikoje.“ 

Jurisprudencija 18, 1081-1099. 
Moskvina, J.; Okunevičiūtė -Neverauskienė, L. (2011). Vulnerable Groups at Lithuanian Labour Market.  Comparative 

Economic Research. Central and Eastern Europe, 14 (4): 47–63. 
Moskvina, J.; Skučienė D. (2014). Pasitraukimo iš darbo rinkos vyresniame amžiuje veiksniai. Gerontologija. 15(2): 88–96.  



 
 

European Journal of Social Impact and Circular Economy - ISSN: 2704-9906  
DOI: 10.13135/2704-9906/5511 Published by University of Turin http://www.ojs.unito.it/index.php/ejsice/index 
EJSICE content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License   

58 

Nilsson H., Bülow P. H., Kazemi A. (2015). Mindful sustainable aging: advancing a comprehensive approach to the 
challenges and opportunities of old age. Europe's journal of psychology, 11(3), p. 494 – 508. 

  North M. S., Fiske S. T. (2013). Act Your (Old) Age: Prescriptive, Ageist Biases Over Succession, Consumption, and 
Identity. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 39(6): 720–734.  

Okunevičiūtė – Neverauskienė L. (2011). Diskriminacijos apraiškos: aktuali būklė bei tendencijos antidiskriminacijos 
srityje. Filosofija. Sociologija, 22(2), p. 115 – 128. 

  Seltzer, J. A. ir Yahirun, J. J. (2013). Diversityin Old Age: The Elderly in Changing Economic and Family Contexts. 
Final Report. 

Skučienė, D., Bartkus, A., Moskvina, J. ir Uleckienė, A. (2015). Senėjanti visuomenė: kaip mes  pasirengę? Vilnius: Lietuvos 
socialinių tyrimų centras. 

Social Report 2014-2015. https://socmin.lrv.lt/lt/veiklos-sritys/socialinis-pranesimas. 
Social Report 2016-2017. https://socmin.lrv.lt/lt/veiklos-sritys/socialinis-pranesimas. 

The 2015 Ageing Report. Economic and budgetary projections for the 28 EU Member States (2013-2060). European 
Economy3/2015. (accessed 05.09.2018): Treaty of Amsterdam. OJ (1997). Available (accessed 10.08.2018):  https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/TXT/?uri=OJ:C:1997:340:TOC 


