COPENHAGEN Dressed in neon orange work clothes and a plastic safety helmet Bjarke Løth Jensen, 80, stamps himself in at the gate of a large industrial estate. Løth has worked in a similar outfit and working environment as a machine worker for the energy company Ørsted for more than 40 years.
– Working is not that special, regardless of whether you are young or old. I like my job because here every day is different.
At the same time, in the middle of Copenhagen’s busiest shopping area Lis Hansen 73, opens the doors of the Benedikte Utzon clothing boutique and places one clothing rack outside the store as an enticement.
Hansen, who worked in the accounting field, retired a few years ago, but got tired of being idle and applied for a job in a designer clothing store.
– I wanted to try something new and work with people. I got the job on the first try.
Also a psychologist and consultant Keld Kunze, 67, did not close the doors of his practice after reaching retirement age. Kunze, who previously worked as an employee and in recent years as an entrepreneur, describes that a psychologist never actually retires.
– As a psychologist, you become wiser over the years. The best thing is to see when people feel better than before.
A good labor market and policy have promoted the employment of older people
Løth, Hansen and Kunze are examples of Denmark’s record high employment, which is supported not only by foreign labor but also by employees who have passed retirement age.
In Denmark, those at the end of their careers and those who have passed the retirement age are best employed in Europe. Almost 40 percent of job seekers aged 55–74 find employment again. In Finland, the figure is about 15 percentage points lower.
However, there are differences between the sectors: For example, workers in the social and health care and metal industries can easily get a job. The most difficult job search is for experts in communication and academic fields, among other things.
Deputy director of the Danish employers’ organization Dansk Industri (DI). Steen Nielsen says that the high employment rate of seniors is mainly due to two factors: the good employment situation and the labor market policy of the last decade.
– First of all, companies now need labor and therefore also seniors who want to continue working. Second, political decisions have been made in Denmark that make it more and more economically profitable for pensioners to work.
Currently, the average retirement age in Denmark is 67 years, and by 2035 it will increase to 69 years. The basic pension paid by the state is a good 900 euros, on top of which the state pays a maximum of about a thousand euros, depending on the person’s family situation or work performance.
The most employed pensioners live in Iceland
Similarly, Denmark has the lowest long-term unemployment among seniors in Europe: just over 20 percent of job seekers aged 55-74 are defined as long-term unemployed. In Finland, the corresponding share is just under 40 percent.
Danish seniors are at their most active until the age of 70. One in four of those who are at the end of their career or have just retired are still working. However, the highest total employment rate for seniors in Europe is in Iceland, where almost every third 65-74-year-old is still working.
In Finland, the employment of older people is the lowest in the Nordic countries, but still above the European average.
According to DI, which represents Danish employers, young and old must be offered the opportunity to advance their skills. In Denmark, the state supports further education, and companies can also offer their employees training opportunities.
DI’s deputy director Nielsen says that he too has a colleague who received additional training towards the end of his career and, thanks to it, continued his working career even after retirement age.
– It is important that retraining is supported. In Denmark, most of the support for further education comes from companies, but public financial support is also needed.
The work of a clothing salesman has taught its author Lis Hansen, who previously had no experience in the field. Now he works two days a week – enough so that he can get both a salary and a basic pension.
– The best part of my job are the customers. I feel that both my employer and our customers appreciate that there are mature women in the industry.
Bjarke Løth Jensen knows that he is the oldest in his work unit, but at the same time praises the multigenerational work community where people of different ages value each other. Now, depending on the week, he works about every other day. He does not define his future working years based on age or endurance, but on the basis of the work community and projects.
– I have an interesting job and good cooperation with my boss and colleagues. If it wasn’t for that, I would have quit by now.
Keld Kunze, who recently passed retirement age, keeps himself fit by exercising regularly and eating well. As an entrepreneur, he can also decide how much work he does each week.
– I will probably do this job as long as I can.