Indicators of Sustainable Employability among Older Finnish Postal Service Employees: A Longitudinal Study of Age and Time Effects

Abstract

We first clarify the definition of sustainable employability, and then we study how the indicators of sustainable employability among older Finnish postal service employees have changed over time. Finally, we estimate the effect of age on these indicators in a two-year follow up. A questionnaire survey among the Finnish postal service employees was conducted in 2016, and a follow-up was conducted in 2018. We analyze data from 1262 subjects who replied to both the baseline and the follow-up surveys. Sustainable employability is defined as a multidimensional construct using nine indicators and covering three domains (health, well-being and employability) based on Fleuren and colleagues’ model. Measurement time (repeated measure) is used as a within-subjects factor, and age is used as a between-subjects factor. The estimated marginal means of the indicators of sustainable employability at the baseline and the follow-up by age in years are calculated. No significant change is found in eight indicators (work ability, time and resources, recovery after work, job satisfaction, motivation, perceived employment, enough training on the job and relevance of work) of sustainable employability after the two-year follow-up. We find a statistically significant effect of time on self-rated health (F = 6.56, p = 0.011). Six out of nine indicators (self-rated health, work ability, time and resources, recovery after work, job satisfaction, and perceived employment) have a statistically significant effect of age between subjects. Partial Eta Squared (ŋ2p) shows a very small difference in the indicators of sustainable employability during the follow-up, indicating that the employability of the workers was sustained throughout. We used the Fleuren model as the basis for our definition of sustainable employability. Although they are based on single items, these indicators of sustainable employability remain stable after the two-year follow-up. Significant effects of age between subjects are found for six out of nine indicators. The results suggest that age may be an important determinant of sustainable employability.

Development and validation of sustainable employability index among older employees

“…The analyses were performed using data from a prospective follow-up survey. The baseline questionnaire survey was conducted among employees of the Finnish postal services in 2016 and was followed in 2018 [ 11 ]. A questionnaire was sent to all Finnish postal service workers aged ≥50 years in 2016 and 44% ( n = 2096) replied to the survey.…”

“…All the variables were added to the model simultaneously. The selection of these variables was made based on previous studies [ 3 , 11 ], which have shown that they can be used as valid indicators of SE. Variance inflation factors were used to investigate multicollinearity amongst predictors, with a value of >3 being an indicator of multicollinearity.…”

“…Potential indicators of SE and their changes were recently studied during a 2-year follow-up among postal service workers aged 50 years and above. The indicators showed consistency with no significant change over time [ 11 ]. In total, nine indicators adapted from previous definitions of SE, representing three main domains were studied: self-rated health, workability, time and resources and recovery after work, representing health; job satisfaction and motivation to work, representing well-being; and perceived employment, enough on-the-job training and relevance of job, representing employability.…”

The Employability of Criminology Graduates From Academic Year 2019 to 2023: A Tracer Study

“…Moreover, Neupane et al (2022) states that due to population aging, the labor force is getting older worldwide. The overall labor force is reduced as a result of older people' declining employment and fewer younger workers joining the job market at the same time.…”

El trabajo decente en el desarrollo de la carrera: Un análisis comparativo de las percepciones de estudiantes universitarios italianos y españoles

“…La investigación realizada recientemente sobre la SE se ha vinculado principalmente con personas empleadas y se ha centrado en el análisis de los indicadores que la conforman (Neupane et al, 2022;Picco et al, 2022), los factores que la fomentan dentro de las organizaciones (Gürbuz et al, 2022) o bien, en las intervenciones que se pueden realizar desde las propias empresas y lugares de trabajo para su mejora (Hazelzet et al, 2019). No obstante, consideramos que identificar la SE como una capacidad que solo afecta a personas trabajadoras con una trayectoria laboral consolidada supone alejarse de la riqueza de su aporte en el proceso de desarrollo de la carrera profesional.…”