Job security in an insecure world: adaptations of older workers in the IT industry

Abstract

The beginning of the 21st century is proving to be a volatile period from the perspective of job security. At the same time, the ageing of the workforce is presenting employers and employees with new challenges in ensuring that the workforce remains cutting edge and highly productive in the face of worldwide competition. [The author reviews] some of the hypotheses advanced by Sterns and Spokus (chapter six, this volume) concerning lifelong learning and the world of work and presents some relevant data from the Workforce Ageing in the New Economy project, which examined ageing within small firms in the [information technology] IT industry. Contrary to expectations from a career self-management perspective, older workers in this highly volatile sector are not more motivated to update skills than younger workers. Contrary to expectations from a bias against older workers perspective, older workers in IT do not seem to perceive much age discrimination from the perspective of training opportunities. These findings suggest that small firms, though rarely studied, can be a useful tool for investigating hypotheses and theories about work and ageing.