ABSTRACT
Reading many chapters of this book, starting from the introduction, it is possible to find strong evidence that the relationship between age and work is evolving, and further, that large changes are expected in the near future (20–30 years). This is true not only for the older generation of workers, but also for the younger, as shown in the chapter of Peiró, Hernández, and Ramos in this volume. The demographic transition, with two main global phenomena (reduction of birth rates and improvement of life expectancy), is now affecting the so-called advanced economies (USA, Japan, Europe) (Phillips & Siu, 2012). But it is also expected that the next 20 years will unsettle the developing economies such as China, Brazil, and Eastern Europe (Kinsella & He, 2009). We are at the leading edge of a global change that requires the intervention of a global science able to transfer knowledge from one context to another (Truxillo & Fraccaroli, 2014). At the same time, this global science needs also to be equipped to understand cultural differences (e.g., the meaning of working in different cultures), and to explain differential effects of specific norms (e.g., laws related to work and retirement are very peculiar for every country) and the level of economic development (e.g., large economic differences also inside the so-called developed economies, such as the level of youth unemployment or in the employment of people over 55). What is expected (and is already underway), following this demographical scenario, is a drop of the working age population, a radical improvement of the dependency ratio (the 345relationship between people over 65 and people at working age), and an extension of the lifespan after retirement. This is the picture that could be derived from demographic research and projections. As a consequence, it is assumed from an economic point of view that there is a need to lengthen the working lifespan and postpone retirement, also with the objective of preserving the equilibrium of the national pension systems. As Skirbekk, Loichinger, and Barakat (2012, p. 63, added emphasis) point out:
Workforce aging is not necessarily an economic liability … The major challenge associated with aging population … is to what extent an older age structure will result in a growing share of those retired; or alternatively, whether the capacities of older cohorts will be used in the labor market, allowing dependency ratios to stabilize in spite of population aging.
