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Age Biased Technical and Organisational Change, Training and Employment Prospects of Older Workers

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  • Behaghel, L.
  • Caroli, E.
  • Roger, M.

Abstract

We analyze the role of training in mitigating the negative impact of technical and organizational changes on the employment of older workers. Using a panel of French firms in the late 1990s, our empirical analysis confirms that new technologies and some innovative workplace practices are biased against older workers. The use of the Internet and the adoption of computer networks tend to increase the wage share of middle-aged workers and to reduce the share of workers older than 50. By contrast, the reduction of the number of hierarchical layers is favourable to older workers. Training contributes to protect older workers in terms of employment and/or of wages.

Suggested Citation

  • Behaghel, L. & Caroli, E. & Roger, M., 2013. "Age Biased Technical and Organisational Change, Training and Employment Prospects of Older Workers," Working papers 431, Banque de France.
    • Handle: RePEc:bfr:banfra:431
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Konle-Seidl, Regina, 2017. "Retention and re-integration of older workers into the labour market: What works?," IAB-Discussion Paper 201717, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    3. Jasmine Mondolo, 2022. "The composite link between technological change and employment: A survey of the literature," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(4), pages 1027-1068, September.
    4. Sotiris Blanas & Gino Gancia & Sang Yoon (Tim) Lee, 2019. "Who is afraid of machines?," Economic Policy, CEPR, CESifo, Sciences Po;CES;MSH, vol. 34(100), pages 627-690.
    5. Paweł Chrostek & Krzysztof Karbownik & Michał Myck, 2024. "Labor Market Externalities of Pre-retirement Employment Protection," NBER Working Papers 32371, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Barth, Erling & Davis, James C. & Freeman, Richard B. & McElheran, Kristina, 2023. "Twisting the demand curve: Digitalization and the older workforce," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 233(2), pages 443-467.
    7. Annika Campaner & John S. Heywood & Uwe Jirjahn, 2022. "Flexible work organization and employer provided training: Evidence from German linked employer‐employee data," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 75(1), pages 3-29, February.
    8. Boockmann, Bernhard & Fries, Jan & Göbel, Christian, 2018. "Specific measures for older employees and late career employment," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 12(C), pages 159-174.
    9. Yashiro, Naomitsu & Kyyrä, Tomi & Hwang, Hyunjeong & Tuomala, Juha, 2020. "Technology, Labour Market Institutions and Early Retirement: Evidence from Finland," IZA Discussion Papers 13990, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    10. Alex Coad, 2018. "Firm age: a survey," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 28(1), pages 13-43, January.
    11. Chiara Zisler & Patricia Palffy & Harald Pfeifer & Kerstin Pull & Uschi Backes-Gellner, 2025. "Boundary Spanning and Team Innovativeness: The Role of Teams' Technology Portfolios," Economics of Education Working Paper Series 0243, University of Zurich, Department of Business Administration (IBW).
    12. Michele Battisti & Christian Dustmann & Uta Schönberg, 2023. "Technological and Organizational Change and the Careers of Workers," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 21(4), pages 1551-1594.
    13. Sotiris Blanas, 2019. "The distinct effects of information technologies and communication technologies on the age-skill composition of labour demand," Working Paper Research 365, National Bank of Belgium.
    14. Fries, Jan, 2014. "Age and skill bias of trade liberalisation? Heterogeneous employment effects of EU Eastern Enlargement," ZEW Discussion Papers 14-113, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    15. Findeisen, Sebastian & Dauth, Wolfgang & Schlenker, Oliver, 2024. "Organized labor versus robots? Evidence from micro data," Working Papers 25, University of Konstanz, Cluster of Excellence "The Politics of Inequality. Perceptions, Participation and Policies".
    16. Mothe, Caroline & Nguyen-Thi, Thuc Uyen, 2021. "Does age diversity boost technological innovation? Exploring the moderating role of HR practices," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 829-843.
    17. Grillitsch, Markus & Schubert, Torben & Srholec, Martin, 2016. "Knowledge diversity and firm growth: Searching for a missing link," Papers in Innovation Studies 2016/13, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    18. Guerrazzi, Marco, 2014. "Workforce ageing and the training propensity of Italian firms: cross-sectional evidence from the INDACO survey," MPRA Paper 56826, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. Anne Sonnet & Hilde Olsen & Thomas Manfredi, 2014. "Towards More Inclusive Ageing and Employment Policies: The Lessons from France, The Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland," De Economist, Springer, vol. 162(4), pages 315-339, December.
    20. Sandulli, Francesco D. & Baker, Paul M.A. & López-Sánchez, José I., 2013. "Can small and medium enterprises benefit from skill-biased technological change?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 66(10), pages 1976-1982.
    21. Torben Schubert & Martin Andersson, 2015. "Old is gold? The effects of employee age on innovation and the moderating effects of employment turnover," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(1-2), pages 95-113, March.
    22. Jorge Calero & Álvaro Choi, 2015. "The distribution of skills among the European adult population and unemployment: a comparative approach," Working Papers 2015/35, Institut d'Economia de Barcelona (IEB).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Technical change; organizational change; training; older workers.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J26 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Retirement; Retirement Policies
    • O30 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - General

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