Managerial decisions on older workers’ training: A vignette study on the interplay of worker and manager characteristics

Abstract

Training could support older workers in working longer. However, their training participation is low and unequally divided, possibly reinforcing inequalities among older employees. We study managers to understand this inequality as they are key actors in deciding who receives training. We study which workers are selected, based on their employability, age and sex, depending on the country context. We use a vignette experiment among 482 managers across nine European countries. Managers gave ‘trainability scores’ to hypothetical employees indicating how likely these employees are to be selected for training. We analyse what drives their (inclined) decisions. Results: show that managers prefer training employees who are already more employable, amplifying existing inequalities among older workers. Also, ‘older older’ employees receive lower trainability scores, particularly in countries with low average retirement ages. There was no support for the ‘gendered ageism’ argument: men and women were equally penalised for their age.