Ageing Across Fields: A Systematic Literature Review of Research on Aging Workforces and Older Employees

Given that a global demographic transformation is occurring, the growing share of older employees creates important threats and opportunities to organizations all over the world. In this article, we offer a systematic literature review (SLR) and a bibliographic network analysis (BNA) in order to locate and evaluate the scholarly conversation on aging workforce and older employees from psychological, sociological, and economic perspectives. From SLR of 413 papers concerning the objectives of the study, and with the support of a BNA, the key areas of focus, theoretical models, and research gaps are identified. There is a growing concern about age diversity policies and age management practices within organizations. The literature highlights the importance of practices such as flexible working arrangements, ongoing development and inter-generational support to the performance and employment retention of older workers. Nonetheless, these approaches remain problematic and fragmented as definitional issues, including what it means to be an “older worker”, vary across disciplines and approaches. Future research avenues can be the role of new technologies such as LLM or Gen AI, hybrid working arrangements, and the intersection between the different nuances of diversity. This article offers a critical perspective to understand how organizations can effectively leverage research that responds to the challenges of an aging workforce in a sustainable perspective.