Employment at Older Ages: Evidence from Italy

This chapter discusses the changes in labor force participation and employment of older Italian individuals over the past thirty five years. We observe a U-shaped time profile in the employment rate of Italian men, particularly for the age-group 55-59. The reversal in the early decline takes place around the years 2002-2003, and is partly attributable to pension reforms, partly to the increase in the fraction of educated individuals, who started working at later ages. Improvements in health and longevity don’t seem to have played the expected role, as health was improving also in the earlier sample period when employment and labor force participation were falling. For women, there is an upward trend in labor force participation, that was reinforced by pension reforms and education.