Older Employees Breathe New Life Into Europe's Labor Market

Many of Europe's major companies have navigated their recovery from the financial crisis and strengthened their workforce by employing older adults, according to the Wall Street Journal . Between 2012 and 2018, older workers accounted for 85 percent of employment growth in the eurozone as companies chased their skills and expertise. In factories dominated by older workers, tweaks as simple as adding ergonomic chairs or installing magnifying lenses have significantly increased efficiency. "We found that older workers had the same productivity as younger ones. And, in terms of quality, they were even better," said Jochen Frey, human-resources spokesman for BMW in Munich. The success of older adults within the European labor force has ramifications for the future of European employment. With the continent's population aging, successful older workers will help hold off a demographic decline. At the same time, though, young workers have struggled to find success in the workforce in recent years, and increasing the amount of older workers will widen the age-unemployment gap.