ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the differing practices and meanings of paid and unpaid work of people aged 65 and over, who migrated to Luxembourg in their early adulthood from Portugal, Germany and Italy and who now have reached retirement. It is based on a sample of interviews with 20 immigrants from Portugal, Italy and Germany that were conducted in their mother tongue. The productivity of older people has extensively been analysed on an international level. The frequently considered variables include gender, age, level of education, employment status, volunteering during the life course and health. Retirement increases men's participation in household work, especially when their professional commitments ended before those of their wives. Older migrants also become mobile grandparents, bringing their grandchildren to their home country, thereby giving a special meaning to child care. Several studies underline the problematic division between formal and informal volunteering that often ignores the informal volunteering of specific groups and the different ways in which people volunteer.
