Will Retiring Workers Provide Job Opportunities for the Young? An Australian Case Study

• In Event: 507 - Section on Labor and Labor Movements Paper Session. The Labor Market and Social Provision: Implications for Worker Health and Organizing

Abstract

Addressing youth unemployment is a significant challenge for many advanced and emerging economies. It has been suggested that rising youth unemployment is partially attributed to older workers delaying retirement. According to this view, as the number of ageing baby boomers retiring increases it is anticipated that youth will find it easier to gain access to employment. This paper examines the veracity of this view through an examination of workforce development strategies in Australia’s transport and logistics industry. The industry confronts significant ageing workforce challenges and has historically provided employment opportunities for unskilled and semi-skilled youth. Drawing upon Australian census data, workforce data provided by major employers within the industry and semi-structured interviews with industry representatives and human resource managers, the paper considers the workforce replenishment strategies of the industry and their implications for job seeking younger workers. Drawing upon a critical realist framework, the paper argues that understanding the complex relationship between ageing workforces and youth unemployment is not straightforward and must account for employer agency and the conditioning of employer practices towards groups of workers as they set out to meet workforce requirements. The findings from the study suggest that younger workers may not be recruited to fill vacancies from retiring workers due to employer negative perceptions of youth and their reluctance to incur the cost of training younger workers. The implication of this employer behaviour is that youth are likely to confront ongoing labour market discrimination despite the growth in job opportunities in ageing labour markets.

Authors

• Darryn Snell, RMIT University

• Victor Oyaro Gekara, RMIT University