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Re-Employability of Older People in Khon Kaen Municipality (KKM)

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Abstract

The employability of older people is a key issue worldwide due to changing demographics. This study aimed to investigate employers’ demand for re-employing older people, specifically in two major areas: 1) the current employers’ behavior or experience as well as attitude towards older employees, and 2) what will stimulate the employment of older people. The data were gathered by face-to-face interviews employing a structured questionnaire from 301 owners of or the CEOs of business establishments in Khon Kaen Municipality (KKM), Thailand. These were selected from business establishments in KKM proportionally via a stratified sampling procedure, by business sector, legality classification and size. More than half of those businesses with older employees were pleased with them, larger manufacturing businesses retain most of the older employees, and no indication was found that these employers discharge their employees even if they reach official retirement age, nor do older employees stay with an organization for shorter periods of time than any other employees. Furthermore, we found no significant difference in level of satisfaction between the manufacturing sector and the commercial sector. Formal business operators (e.g. limited liability partnerships, limited companies, etc.) were more satisfied with their older employees rather than informal ones. Additionally, size of corporation was related to the level of satisfaction. Lastly, the most desired intervention measures were intermediary mechanisms to link potential employers closer to potential employees. Preferred choices of government incentives to boost the employment of older people, by both business sector are tax incentives and wage subsidies.

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Acknowledgements

This research was conducted with financial support from the Rockefeller Foundation through the Social Survey Center (SSC) of the College of Local Administration, Khon Kaen University (KKU). The implementation of this project was undertaken with technical advice from Professor Hirofumi Ando and Associate Professor Pennee Narot of the College of Local Administration, KKU. Khon Kaen Municipality (KKM), the Khon Kaen Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of the Thai Industries, Khon Kaen office provided significant inputs to the survey.

Funding

This study was funded by the Rockefeller Foundation (no grant number).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Local Administration, Khon Kaen University, 123, Muang, Khon Kaen, 400002, Thailand

    Narong Kiettikunwong

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  1. Narong Kiettikunwong
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Correspondence to Narong Kiettikunwong.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Kiettikunwong, N. Re-Employability of Older People in Khon Kaen Municipality (KKM). Ageing Int 43, 141–157 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-017-9316-4

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