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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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The self-designed career in later life
— a study of older portfolio workers in the United Kingdom | | Author(s) | Kerry Platman |
| Journal title | Ageing and Society, vol 23, part 3, May 2003 |
| Pages | pp 281-302 |
| Keywords | Employment of older people ; Job requirements ; Conditions of employment ; Self employed ; Ageism ; Retirement ; Longitudinal surveys. |
| Annotation | Secure, full-time jobs that last until the statutory retirement age have dwindled, while flexible forms of work have grown, and are increasingly promoted as promising solutions to the "problem" of economic inactivity in later life. Government committees, campaigning groups and management authors have embraced the possibilities of self-employment, contract work, freelancing, consultancy and part-time work for those who need or want to work beyond the age of 50 years. Portfolio-type jobs appear to offer choice, opportunity and control for individuals in the final stages of a career. The argument goes that working for a range of clients allows older people to bypass age-discriminatory barriers to employment, and to negotiate their own transition into retirement. This paper applies a critical realist perspective to a 3-year study of freelance employment in the British media industry, the aim being to understand the conflicts, barriers and opportunities involved in portfolio careers. The study found that older individuals were vulnerable to job insecurity and financial risk because of their diminishing networks and skills. They experienced a reduced flow of commissions, which hampered their ability to exert choice and control in the labour market. (KJ/RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-030530202 A |
| Classmark | GC: WJA: WKA: TFP: B:TOB: G3: 3J |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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