The postponement of the legal retirement age to 64 years provided for in the pension reform raises, in general, the same question. Who do you see working in your current position until this age? Not many people actually.
According to a study by Dares, the research department of the Ministry of Labour, 37% of employees do not feel capable of keeping their job until retirement. “They do not consider their work to be sustainable”, sums up the Directorate of animation of investigations, studies and statistics (Dares).
This 2019 figure does not take into account the prospect of a lowering of the legal age. It is rather the result of apprehensions linked to exposure to physical or psychosocial occupational hazards, to an altered state of health, generating a greater sense of unsustainability at work. Therefore, this number is likely to be much higher today.
66% of tellers say they cannot keep the same position until retirement
And “in general, all socio-professional categories are affected in a fairly similar way,” says Dares. Obviously, depending on the trades, the variations are stronger.
“They are in particular the trades that require the reception of the public (cashiers, bank employees, insurance and hospitality), those of assistance and social action (nurses and caregivers), as well as certain trades of unskilled workers. On the other hand, the most sustainable trades are on average more qualified and more practiced in offices”, it can be read.
Thus, 66% of cashiers or self-services, 61% of bank employees or 55% of nurses and midwives say they cannot keep the same job until retirement. On the contrary, only 17% of secretaries or 18% of computer technicians declare themselves in this case.
The more unsustainable the work is considered, the earlier the retirements will be
For the less “sustainable” professions, hold out until retirement and with greater reason up to 64 years at least is therefore a challenge, a challenge that risks weighing on health.
As a result, the more unsustainable the job is deemed to be over time, the earlier retirements will be, and therefore financially unfavorable for employees. Affected employees are 19% before legal age vs. 12% overall and 30% before being able to claim a full-time pension vs. 16%.
However, several levers can be activated to relieve these employees: the adjustment of time constraints but, above all, “a reduction in the intensity of work.” “On average, a decrease in work intensity leads to an 8-point drop in the proportion of employees in an unsustainable situation three years apart,” Dares stresses.
Another means to favor, “the increase in autonomy granted to workers that allows a greater proportion of employees to stop being in an unsustainable situation.”
Less hours, more autonomy
Et d’expliquer: “les margins de manœuvre laisses aux salariés (choisir la façon d’arriver aux objectifs ou de faire correctly son travail, régler personnellement les incidents, etc.) permettent une meilleure maîtrise de l’environnement de travail et la minimization risks”.
Finally, better social support from the hierarchy and teams, such as receiving help from superiors and peers, “is also a factor in increasing the sustainability of work.”
However, this may not be enough, especially for the most physical or stressful jobs. In his note, the Dares insists on the benefits of changing status in order to reach retirement.
Leaving employment to finish your degree
“So, for example, leaving a job by becoming self-employed (instead of staying employed) reduces the probability of remaining in an untenable job three years apart by more than half. Being self-employed, with the autonomy that it confers, is associated with better health and a more favorable reconciliation between family life and professional life, despite a longer working day”, it can be read.
This trend is emerging but palpable. Example with the LeHibou platform that connects 70,000 freelancers and large companies, has 25% subscribers over 45 years of age and 10% over 55 years of age.
Thomas Ducret, commercial director of this platform, thus highlights in Happy Job on BFM Business, the experience of these professionals, a value sought by the companies that use him.
More and more senior freelancers
“Most freelancers are senior (…) but we avoid using the word ‘senior’, we talk about experienced profiles because that is what clients are looking for. We are there to cover a client’s need and ultimately, age comes to an end and our clients do not know it when we submit files”, he explains.
Especially since “the price of the self-employed tends to drop from the age of 55 (…) from a certain age, they no longer seek to earn more at all costs. It is rather to find the right mission that satisfies their desires and meet the needs”, continues Thomas Ducret.
Changing careers is also a solution, as is changing jobs in the same company, even if its benefits are more modest, Dares estimates.
Especially since these levers need to be activated early enough in a race. Dares recalls that mobility declines with age: it affects 36% of 20-29 year-olds, 22% of 30-39 year-olds, 15% of 40-49 year-olds and only 10% of those over 50 years.
Source: BFM TV
