Careers Surpassing a Half-Century: A Look at Japan and France

Abstract

AbstractIn Japan, population ageing is leading the government to raise the retirement age to beyond 70, and even to 75 by 2040. This policy of maintaining older workers in employment is compelling companies to provide job opportunities to people with up to 50 years of work experience. This has consequences on the updating of skills—particularly, those related to new technologies, on employee engagement and motivation, on the management of age-related constraints in workstation ergonomics and work organisation, and it could pose a serious threat to safety. This chapter aims to describe the situation in Japan and the possible solutions put forward to overcome challenges. It then invites reflection on the management of longer careers in France and in Europe, where population projections also point to an increasingly aged population by 2040.