Occupational downward mobility among older workers in the United States of America

随着年龄的增长，许多人都在问自己，他们是否能够也是否愿意继续从事自己的职业直到退休。对一些人来说，改变职业是尝试新事物的一个有吸引力的选择。然而，另一些人则被迫接受降薪，以便产生任何收入，补充微薄的老年养恤金，承担照顾家庭的责任，或解决健康问题。职业流动性，这里定义为职业的变化，是本调查的中心阶段，并有一个特别关注向下过渡，导致社会声望或产生的收入减少。在50岁及以上人口以及领取某种养老金的人的就业增加的背景下——美国是这一发展的先驱——该项目调查了从50年代中期到70年代的就业轨迹，这取决于所讨论的出生队列（1946年至1959年）。在这个年龄段，职业的变化在多大程度上发生？这些变化与向下流动的联系有多频繁？对新旧工作的收入、每周工作时间和与此工作有关的社会权利（例如雇主的健康福利）进行比较，将完成描述性分析。特别关注的是中低层白领。在整个生命过程中，关于就业和各自社会不平等的社会学方法，项目内的因果分析侧重于可能影响职业流动性的三个因素。第一，前一工作的广阔专业领域及其在社会威望和社会阶层阶级地位方面的职业地位对职业向下发生的影响有多大？第二，以前的失业和其他类型的失业是否会增加职业向下流动的风险？第三，与就业相关的继续教育的信息允许测试各自的教育参与是否使横向和向上的可能性更大。作为额外的控制变量，可以在统计上考虑家庭组成和家庭收入状况及其随时间的变化。该数据库是美国健康和退休调查（HRS）。利用现有的回顾性和前瞻性数据，该项目构建了职业变化的纵向指标，并估计了多元双项和多项面板回归。这项为期6个月的奖学金将使他有机会访问纽约社会研究新学院的施瓦茨经济政策分析中心，该中心是一个专门研究退休和老年工人就业的研究单位，熟悉人力资源管理制度。

With increasing age, many people ask themselves whether they are able and willing to keep on working in their occupation until retirement. For some a change of occupation is an attractive option to try out something new. Others, however, are forced to accept a downward move in order to generate any income at all, to complement meagre old-age pensions, to take on care responsibilities in the family or to come to terms with health problems. Occupational mobility, here defined as a change of occupation, is at center stage of this investigation and there is a special focus downward transitions which lead to a decrease in social prestige or generated income. Against the background of increased employment among the population aged 50 and older as well as among person receiving some sort of old-age pension - and the US is a pioneer in this development - the project investigates employment trajectories from the mid 50s onwards up until 70, depending on the birth cohort in question (1946 to 1959). To what extent do changes of occupation occur in this age group and how often are they linked to downward mobility? Comparisons of the income, weekly working hours, and social rights connected with this job (e.g. employers’ health benefits) regarding the old and new jobs will complete the descriptive analysis. A special focus will be on white-collar workers in medium and lower positions. Relating to sociological approaches on employment and respective social inequalities throughout the life course, the causal analysis within the project focuses on three factors potentially impacting occupational mobility. First, in how far does the broad professional field of the former job and its occupational status in terms of social prestige and social-class class position influence the occurrence of occupational downward? Second, do previous episodes of unemployment and other kinds of non-employment increase the risk of downward occupational mobility? Third, information on employment-related further education allows to test whether respective educational participation makes lateral and upward moves more likely. As additional control variables, the household composition and the income situation of the household as well as the respective changes over time can be statistically taken into account. The database is the US-American Health and Retirement Survey (HRS). Using the retrospective and prospective data available, the project constructs longitudinal indicators for occupational change and estimates multivariate bi- and multinomial panel regressions. The 6-month fellowship will enable a visit at the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis at the New School for Social Research, New York – a research unit specializing in retirement and employment of older workers and familiar with the HRS.