Job-related training of older
workers

By Jungwee Park

Full article: HTML | PDF

Older workers were significantly less likely to take job-related training than their core-age counterparts. Between July 2007 and June 2008, 32% of workers age 55 to 64 took some training compared to 45% of those age 25 to 54. The age gap persisted even after labour market factors and personal characteristics were taken into consideration.

Older workers with lower personal income, less than postsecondary education, temporary employment, and sales or service jobs, along with those working in the private sector and goods-producing industries were significantly less likely to participate in training than others the same age.

The training gap between older and younger workers has narrowed over time as the training rate for older workers more than doubled from 1991 to 2008. The ratio of core-age to older-worker training rates stood at 1.4 in 2008, compared to 2.5 in 1991.

About 61% of the increase in the training participation rate of older workers was attributed to increases in educational attainment and changes in the types of jobs held by more recent cohorts.