The Challenge of Ensuring a Healthy Workforce in an Ageing Society. Austria and Australia in Comparison

Austria has a significantly lower employment rate of mature workers than Australia. This is the result of a more generous retirement system and more pronounced discrimination of mature workers rather than worse health among workers. In spite of a higher rate of work-related accidents in Australia the rate of disabled to non-disabled mature workers is higher in Austria. The Australian labour market for mature workers is more flexible in terms of working hours, hiring rates and employment forms such that older workers may remain longer in the workforce than in Austria.