Presentation by Barbro Westerholm (Member of the Swedish Parliament for the Liberal Party) on the occasion of the Joint EESC conference organised by the Labour Market Observatory and the European Year 2012 Coordination Group on the Activation of senior citizens - Humanising working conditions for senior workers (Brussels - 20 June 2012)

1. Activation of senior citizens
Why do Swedes work longer
Barbro Westerholm
Member of the Swedish
Parliament (lib)

2. The demographic change
From a pyramid to a skyscraper to a muffin

3. Longer life, longer working life
Prerequisites and obstacles for a
longer working life for older
people
Swedish Commission on Pension Age
(SOU 2012:28, April 2012)

4. Some facts from
Longer life, longer working life
Activity rate in the age group 56 – 64 yrs
from 62 % in 1987
to 71 % in 2012.

5. Possible causes behind longer working
life in Sweden
• The percentage of Swedes 55 – 74 years old in
good or very good health has increased from
57 % in 1980 to 64 % in 2004
• The number of people with ill-health and injuries
caused by working conditions has decreased but
varies between places of work

6. Possible causes behind longer working
life in Sweden (1)
• Cognitive tests have improved in later birth
cohorts, probably because of better education,
improved living conditions and more intellectual
stimulation.
• The percentage of men with low education has
decreased from 57 % 1985 to less than 30 % in
2010. For women the corresponding figures are
64 to 25 %.

7. Possible causes behind longer
working life in Sweden (2)
The change of the pension system in 1999
- Pay as you go
- Stronger link between life income and
pension
- Right to retire at 61 years, right to stay at
work until 67
- The longer you work, the better the pension
- Pensions follow the economy of the country

8. At what age do Swedes plan to
retire
2001
Before the age of 65 ~ 40 %
At the age of 65 ~ 50 %
Do not know ~10 %
2011
Before the age of 65 ~ 15 %
At the age of 65 ~ 75 %
Do not know ~ 10 %

9. Why do Swedes want to retire
• Get more spare time
• Has planned it for a long time
• Possibility to get a good agreement
• Difficult to get a new job
• Working conditions
• Too tired to go on
• Want to retire at the same time as the spouse
• Health problems
• Does not pay to work longer
• My competence is not appreciated
• I want to hand over to younger ones

10. What can make Swedes work
longer
• Possibility to work part-time
• Flexible working hours
• Better economy
• Better health
• Wellness training at work (women)
• Less stress (women)
• Better working conditions
• Changed attitudes to older employees (men)
• To feel needed

11. How to stimulate longer working life
• Improve working conditions
• Change regulations and norms on when to
retire
• Increase incentives to work longer
• Combat ageism, age discrimination
• Reduce costs to employ older people

12. More research about older
people as a resource is strongly
needed
Thank you for your attention