Stress at Work and the Health of Older Workers in Europe,

Abstract

Working conditions have changed in recent decades. This study focuses on the existing links between job organization and the health status of older workers using the Share 2004 survey. It is based on the Karasek and Theorell (1991) and the Siegrist (1996) models, which highlight three main areas: the psychological demand, which reflects perceived physical demand and pressure due to heavy workload; the control at work, which relates to freedom of action and the opportunity to develop new skills; and the reward a person receives, which equates to the feeling of receiving an adequate salary relatively to the effort realized, having prospects for job advancement and receiving the recognition deserved. These models also take into account the notion of support at work in difficult situations and the feeling of job security. Our estimates show that the health status of older workers is linked to these factors.Job Organization, Health, Older Workers