Managers’ Perceptions of Older Workers and an Extended Working Life in Sweden

Raising older workers’ participation level is a key objective in many countries. It is important therefore, to deepen the knowledge regarding older workers’ work situations. The objective of the present study was to describe how managers perceived older workers, and an extended working life, in Sweden.Seven focus groups, with a total of 26 managers, were conducted; with participants coming from municipal care, or from private companies. Data was analyzed using content analysis. Five categories emerged in the analysis: Work capacity, Education, Technical devices and ergonomics, Organizational and technological changes, and Sustainable and extended working life.Managers’ attitudes range from positive to negative, confirming previous research, and strengthening the evidence. However, managers in the present study emphasized differences between blue and white collar workers’ ability to extend working life. Furthermore, these managers thought that there were greater differences between different individuals than between different age groups.