Both younger and older European men are staying away from work, experts say. Labour market regulations and dislocations are discouraging younger males, while older male workers have taken advantage of the lower retirement age of 60 instituted in the 1980s.
The trend has offset a surge in the number of female workers with the result that total labour-force participation has hardly risen. Such are the findings of St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank economist Patricia S. Pollard.
Experts warn that Europe will have to reverse the trend toward late entry into and early exit from the labour force if it expects to thrive.
Source: Gene Koretz, More European Men Opt Out, Business Week, September 25, 2000.
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