Employment - KG | Kaberi Gayen

The Social Networks of Older Workers

Pratik Sengupta Pratik Sengupta — Sat, 26 Feb 2022 10:12:47 +0000

Over the next 25 years, the UK’s workforce is projected to significantly age. However, Disney et al (1997) observed that half of men and one third of women of aged over-50 leave work before state pension age in the UK and the literature suggests that, even in relatively buoyant local labour markets, older workers are at a disadvantage due to factors such as qualifications, job search strategies and perceived age discrimination (McQuaid and Lindsay 2002, 2005). A number of recent policy proposals partly seek to, or will have the effect of, increasing the number of older workers (those aged over 50 years in this study) in remaining in or re-entering the labour force (e.g. changing pension ages, reducing numbers on Incapacity Benefits etc.) (Hollywood et al 2003). It is argued that over 50 year old men who are not employed, in particular, have poorer social networks than those in work, younger people and women.

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Social networks, accessed and mobilised social capital and the employment status of older workers: A case study

Pratik Sengupta Pratik Sengupta — Sat, 26 Feb 2022 09:40:03 +0000

Those older people who were unemployed and, returned to employment (reemployed) had a higher proportion of contacts with higher prestige jobs, their job searching methods were mainly interpersonal and the rate of finding their last job via their social networks was higher than those who remained unemployed. Both groups mobilised social capital (MSC), but those reemployed accessed higher “quality” social capital. “Strong ties”, rather than “weak ties”, were found to be important in accessing and mobilising social capital for the older workers who returned to employment.

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Social networks, age cohorts and employment

fahim — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 16:24:00 +0000

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the association of social networks with being in work, contrasting those under age 50 with those over 50 years. Design/methodology/approach – A case study is undertaken of a local labour market in Scotland. Data were collected by interview using a semi-structured questionnaire from 194 people divided into four groups. Data include information on individuals’ socio-economic characteristics and on their networks. A four-way comparison is made by age and employment status. Findings – Those in work have denser social networks populated with members with higher social and human capital. For those over 50 years, the more contacts one has with higher prestige employment positions (a proxy for social capital), and the stronger the ties with these contacts, the more likely that one is to be in employment. For those under 50 years, their own qualifications and the number of contacts are important. Research limitations/implications – This work adds to both research on employability and social networks. Social implications – The over 50s tend to be the age group that is most likely to be not in employment and as populations age there is a need to ensure that barriers to employment against those over 50 are reduced. Finding routes to reduce unemployment will also help combat social exclusion. Originality/value – This is in the combination of a social network approach with age cohort analysis to give insight into how social capital is associated with being in employment.

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