Older people and heavy work.

Abstract

The proportion of older persons in the population is increasing year by year and, in anticipation of the economic consequences that this situation will bring about, growing support has developed for the proposal that more elderly people should be employed in industry. However, the prevalence of policies of age discrimination in labour intake and of compulsory retirement at fixed ages in many occupations suggests that opportunities for the employment of older people have not been develop ing at a rate commensurate with the need. Indeed, an inquiry carried out by Thomas (1947) for the Industrial Health Research Board reported : A comparison with the census of England and Wales, 1931, reveals that, contrary to what might have been expected in view of the wartime demand for labour, a lower proportion of old persons over 60 was in employment in 1945 than in 1931. Moreover, as the proportion of older people in employment declined steeply in the two years following the war {Ministry of Labour Gazette, 1948), there are some grounds for the conclusion of the report that ... even fewer old persons may remain in employment in the future . It is worth noting that a similar trend has been reported in the United States. While the number of persons aged 65 and over has multiplied by over four times in the past half century the proportion of employed men aged 65 and over has fallen steadily over the same period. In 1870 80% of the older men were working, in 1910 63%, in 1930 54%, and in 1940 41%. The percentage increased during the war but by 1950 it had declined to 45% (see Mushkin and Berman, 1947 ; Burns, 1954). A steady though less marked decline has also shown itself for employed men between 55 and 64. A Committee on Aging and Geriatrics (1952), in presenting information on this subject, has suggested that this decline is due in large measure to the shrinking place of agriculture and self-employment generally in the national economy. If such an interpretation is correct and applies to similar trends in Great Britain the recommendation made by the National Advisory Committee on the Employment of Older Men and Women (1953) on the need to increase the proportion of older persons employed in industry is not likely to be easily accomplished. It would appear that the demands of industrial work are less suited to the capacities of older persons than other types of work. More over, the problem is rendered more difficult by the fact that there is no general agreement as to the type of industrial work which is most suited to older persons. The most commonly held view is that older people should be transferred to lighter work, but the implication that industrial work is not suited to older persons because of its heaviness should not be taken for granted. Whether or not lighter work can be recommended as a policy likely to increase the number of persons working in the higher age groups depends on a careful sifting of the facts. To present data relating to this subject is the object of the paper.