Introduction - Many (older) workers experienced changes in their working life as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, some of them related to increased use of digital technologies. In this study, we aim at understanding older workers’ degree of affectedness as well as the experience of and satisfaction with technology-related changes at work during the COVID-19pandemic in Sweden.

Methods and Materials - Between June 2020 and December 2021, novel data on work during the COVID-19 pandemic was collected via a four-wave online survey (n=2901). Based on such data, which was collected in the Swedish regionÖstergötland, we modeled (a) the overall affectedness with technology-related changes at work in a sub-sample of workers aged 50 years and older, (b) the experience of specific types of technology-related changes at work in the same sub-sample, and (c) the satisfaction with technology-related changes at work in a sub-sample of 357 workers aged 50 years and older who reported to have experienced such changes.

Results - Our findings show how the experience with technology-related changes is structured along the lines of age, gender, education, occupation, and job status. Also, the satisfaction with technology-related changes proved to be unequally distributed among older workers with differences also between household and family types.

Conclusions - The results have implications for policies and practices to support equal and inclusive late working life in times of digitalisation of work.

Workplace digitalization created a sea change in work practices and it altered the situation of older workers. Digitalization entails the increased use of digital technologies, such as computers and online services. Older workers often possess limited digital skills, which may put their labor market participation at risk. Previous studies began exploring how older workers fare when their workplaces are digitalizing. However, the research field is still emerging and remains fragmented. This article comprises a systematic literature review that takes inventory of what we currently know about older workers in digitalizing workplaces. It demonstrates that older workers experience the digitalization of their workplaces in various areas, reaching from health monitoring to work arrangements. Interestingly, challenges and opportunities emerge in each area affected. This Janus-faced situation underlines the complexity of consequences, and it raises questions about social inequalities in these consequences. The work environment plays a crucial role in shaping how older workers experience workplace digitalization. It shapes which options for adaptation they have, and to which degree they can act on these options. This circumstance makes workplaces an excellent starting point for interventions. Country-characteristics likewise exert an influence. While characteristics such as retirement regulations are purposefully modified for intervention, other characteristics, such as culture, are not. This circumstance limits governmental options for shaping the situation of older workers in digitalizing workplaces. Future research should further explore the situation of older workers in digitalizing workplaces, paying special attention to the theoretical framework and to developments in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction

This text is a first full draft that includes all the planned sections and covers key aspects of late working life issues in Sweden.

Chapter 1 presents key statistical data for population structure and demographic processes in Sweden as well as labour market participation among the older groups of the population. It is mapping the main political economic discourses that frame late working life and brings in some historically important points for understanding the developments in the Swedish discourse. The aspects of the welfare regime and its transformations after the 1990s are included.

Chapter 2 briefly introduces the Swedish social model and discusses the roles of social partners and institutional context. It also informs about particularities regarding authorities and unique aspects of the Swedish social model. The most information-rich part is the presentation of the discourses and the positions of the main actors in the Swedish labour market. They actively contribute to shaping the political agenda and policy outcomes that translate into specific legislation.

Chapter 3 presents patterns and characteristics of current late working life in Sweden, and focusses on late labour market participation and exit, working conditions, sectoral distributions, and lifelong learning aspects. The main inequalities are discussed under these headings.

Chapter 4 is an account of the most influential policies for late working life in Sweden. It covers three main sections. Namely, retirement and pensions, disability insurance and policies related to the labour market inclusion. These policies are analysed regarding their impact on extending working lives as well as their potential to decrease inequalities in the labour market, in particular amongst older workers.

The text provides, finally, a brief overview of developments and policies regarding late working life in Sweden. Moreover, it sketches how these developments and policies affect inequalities in late working life. This is followed by an appendix containing additional data.

Während der COVID-19-Pandemie hat sich Schweden von Anbeginn auf Empfehlungen wie Kontaktreduzierung and Abstand konzentriert, aber trotz des Verzichts auf lockdownähnliche Maßnahmen standen und stehen die Menschen  wie überall vor großen Herausforderungen. Während altersbedingte Sterblichkeitsrisiken und die Rolle der stationären und ambulanten Pflege in Schweden wohlbekannt sind, ist weiterhin wenig über die Folgen insbesondere für die späte Erwerbstätigkeit bekannt. Ziel diese Beitrags ist es daher, die Auswirkungen und Pandemiefolgen in Schweden unter dem Gesichtspunkt sozialer Risiken im Bereich des Erwerbslebens und der Ungleichheit in Bezug auf Alter und Geschlecht vor den Hintergrund von Pandemie- und Gleichstellungspolitiken zu verstehen. Es werden Veränderungen und deren Bewertungen während der Pandemie und der damit verbundenen politischen Maßnahmen erörtert. Es wird vor dem Hintergrund der schwedischen Pandemiepolitiken gefragt a) Welche Veränderungen im Bereich der Erwerbsarbeit erleben Menschen unterschiedlichen Alters in Schweden? b) Wie zufrieden sind Menschen unterschiedlichen Alters mit den Veränderungen im Arbeitsleben und welches sind wichtigsten Herausforderungen? c) Hat die COVID-19-Pandemie im Hinblick auf Alter, Geschlecht einen ungleichen Einfluss auf das Erwerbsleben? 

Die Division Ageing and Social Change (www.ageing.se) der Linköping University , in Schweden hat hierzu eine Online-Umfrage mit bisher zwei Wellen durchgeführt (eine dritte Welle wird im Juni 2021 hinzugefügt). Die Stichprobenziehung erfolgte durch Online-Werbung in den größten Tageszeitungen Östergötlands mit 780.000 zufällig verteilten Seitenaufrufen im Juni und Dezember 2020 (n = 1.100 (617/483), 30-74 Jahre, gewichtet nach Alter, Geschlecht und Bildung). Die Studie wurde im Rahmen des Forschungsprogramms EIWO (www.eiwoproject.org; Forte dnr. 2019-01245) durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen Ergebnisse zu Veränderungen und deren subjektive Bewertung im Verlauf  der Pandemie: Ältere Arbeitnehmer sind anfangs allgemein weniger negativ von pandemiebedingten Veränderungen betroffen als jüngere. Auffallend sind hingegen starke Geschlechtsunterschiede hinsichtlich Auswirkungen und Bewertungen, die negativen Konsequenzen in der Gruppe der 65-Jährigen und Älteren sowie der Anteil und die Zusammensetzung der Gruppe, die von positiven Veränderungen berichtet.