J14 - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-labor Market DiscriminationReturn

This study examines the role of age in the selection and promotion of employees within public and private organizations, with a particular focus on Czech organizations. The research investigates the impact of age on career advancement across various industries and regions, aiming to provide insights into potential age-related biases in the workplace. The study utilizes a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative analysis of promotion rates with qualitative insights from organizational representatives. Despite the intriguing nature of the topic, the study faces several challenges, including a relatively low number of respondents and limited data availability. Nevertheless, the findings shed light on the complexities of age-related dynamics in the workplace, highlighting the need for further research and potential interventions to promote equity and fairness in career advancement processes.

This paper presents a calculation of the estimated value of the time of old age pension receipt for individual birth cohorts of Czech males and females born in the period 1900-2020. It is assumed that people start to receive the pension at the moment of reaching retirement age and receive it until death. Starting with the birth cohort of 1966, two variants of retirement age determination are assumed: (a) a fixed retirement age threshold equal to 65 years for both males and females; and (b) a flexible retirement age (equal for males and females) defined in such a way that the average time of pension receipt would be equal to one quarter of the total expected total life span of people reaching senior age. The average lengths of pension receipt as well as the structure of adult persons from each birth cohort according to five-year time intervals of pension receipt (including the proportion of adult persons not surviving until retirement age) in the future are presented. Cohort life tables were used for calculations.

We analyse the extent and determinants of somewhat gloomy employment prospects of older unemployed populations in Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia. For this purpose, we explore the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions over the period 2004-2014. Survival estimates suggest that older unemployed workers face lower job-finding probabilities compared to prime-age unemployed workers, while this age-based gap increases with longer unemployment spells. The results of estimating the hazard models reveal that the job-finding probability of older unemployed workers is about 20-25% lower than that of the prime-age group, even after controlling for explanatory covariates and unobserved heterogeneity. Unemployment duration appears to be the major determinant of job-finding probability within both age groups. In contrast, the impact of explanatory covariates (gender, education, household characteristics, etc.) is relatively less robust and/or uniform.

This paper deals with present situation and future development of pension reform in the Czech Republic. A comparison with neighboring country - Austria, has been done. Parametrical reforms of pay as you go systems in both countries are compared and evaluated. Pretensions to introduce the multi-pillar pension system are commented and appraised. Some opacities in current definitions of private pension systems are mentioned. Specific risks of different pillars are introduced, together with the necessity to monitor costs of the pension administrative itself. Aging of the society and public budgets deficit are very important circumstances influencing the pension policy, however, the main aim of reforms should be the creation of a modern system, supporting the maintenance of the living standard of the elderly. Well functioning labour market and developed financial market for a modern pension system are indispensable.