This paper looks at the effect of technological and organisational changes on the probability for workers in the second part of their careers of transmitting their knowledge to other colleagues in their employing firm. We use matched employer-employee data to link changes occurred at the firm level with knowledge transmission behaviours measured at the individual-level. To control for selection bias based on differences in observable characteristics between workers employed in changing work environments and those employed in non-changing ones, we apply propensity score matching techniques. We find that ICT and management changes reduce significantly the probability for workers over 45 of transmitting their knowledge to their colleagues. Then, we analyse the role of training in mitigating this negative impact. To address issues of self-selection into training, we use propensity score matching methods and a proxy for unobservable productivity. We show that participation in a training program regarding ICT tools may help older workers restore their role of knowledge transmitters.

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This paper investigates the role of productivity as a determinant of the worker's retirement intentions. Using an overlapping generation framework, we analyze the retirement decision of a cohort of workers being ability heterogeneous. The labor market is endogenously segmented between workers having the required ability level to occupy jobs where the productivity is indexed to the technological state via on-the-job training (complex jobs) and the rest of workers, who are employed in positions where productivity is relatively deteriorated in case of technological change due to the absence of on-the-job training (simple jobs). In case of technological change, workers in complex jobs delay their retirement date, whereas workers in simple positions will not modify their retirement decision unless taxes change. Using data from France, we find that after a technological change, older workers who benefit from a skill upgrading training program have a higher intended retirement age. JEL: J14; J22; J24; J26

From French data, this paper uses a difference-indifferences approach combined with propensity score matching to identify the effect of an exogenous change in employment protection among older workers on firm's incentives to sponsor training. Laying off workers aged 50 and above, French firms have to pay a tax to the unemployment insurance system, known as the Delalande tax. In 1999, the measure was subjected to a reform that increased due taxes but that did not concern equally all firms. We find that this exogenous shock to employment protection for older workers substantially rises firms' incentives to train the 45-49 age group of workers. This result confirms predictions of the simple labor market model we develop in a first stage. À partir de données françaises, ce papier utilise une approche de double différence combinée avec la méthode d'appariement sur score de propension pour identifier l'effet d'un changement exogène de la protection de l'emploi des seniors sur les incitations des entreprises à former leurs travailleurs. En France, lorsque les entreprises licencient un salarié de plus de 50 ans, elles doivent payer une taxe contribuant au système d'assurance chômage, connue sous le nom de taxe Delalande. La réforme de 1999 de la taxe Delalande s'est traduite par une augmentation, hétérogène entre les entreprises, de la contribution. Nous trouvons que ce choc exogène sur la protection de l'emploi des seniors a augmenté substantiellement les incitations des entreprises à former leurs travailleurs âgés entre 45-49 ans. Ce résultat confirme les prédictions de notre modèle théorique.