UK and Hong Kong Survey of Older Workers

Citation

(2017), "UK and Hong Kong Survey of Older Workers", Flynn, M., Li, Y. and Chiva, A. (Ed.) Managing the Ageing Workforce in the East and the West (The Changing Context of Managing People), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 249-266. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78714-638-920171015

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2018 Emerald Publishing Limited

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Table A1 shows the demographic profile of the survey.

Table A1.

Demographic Profile of the Survey.

	UK (%)	Hong Kong (%)
Gender
Male	50.1	50
Female	49.9	50
Age
45–49	16.3	39.9
50–54	26.3	36.6
55–59	31.5	16.5
60–64	18.9	5.5
65+	7.1	1.5
Sector
Agriculture	0.4	0.5
Energy and water	2.6	1.5
Manufacturing	9.1	12.5
Construction	5.1	7.2
Catering (e.g., hotel or restaurant)	2.5	3.4
Transport	8.6	9
Banking and finance	4.5	6.9
Public administration	7.8	6.4
Education	8.9	10
Health services	9.1	5.3
Charity/voluntary sector	4.3	1.6
Retail and wholesale	11.3	14.4
Social care and social work	4.9	2.6
Business and support services	18.3	13.3
Others	2.9	5.3
Total	100
Marital status
Single (never been married or cohabiting)	12.8	17.3
Married or cohabiting	68	77.3
Divorced	16.5	3.3
Widowed	2.8	2.3
Weekly household income
Bottom quintile	11.3	4.4
Second to lowest quintile	28.9	11.3
Middle quintile	32.5	16.6
Second to highest quintile	19	29.4
Highest quintile	8.4	38.4
Highest level of Education
Higher degree (e.g., Masters or PhD)	7.8	11.4
First degree (e.g., BA, BSc)	18.9	21.3
Other qualification (e.g., City and Guilds, RSA/OCR, BTEC/Edexcel)	18	1.3
NVQ at level 4 or equivalent	8.1	10.3
At least one A level or equivalent	16.1	44.6
At least one O level or equivalent	23.9	9.1
No qualifications	7.2	2.1
Trade Union Membership
Yes	27.5	17.6
No	72.5	82.4
Caring responsibilities
Yes	32	69.9
No	68	30.1

Table A2.

Survey Question Responses.

	Variables	Source Question	UK (%)	Hong Kong (%)
Have you taken part in any education or any training connected with your job, or a job you might be able to do in the future?	In the last 6 months	Labour Force Survey (UK)	20.8	18.8
	More than 6 months ago		54.5	52.6
	Never		24.8	28.6
Did your employer support you in terms? (Please tick all that apply.)	Encouraging you to take part in training	National Adult Learning Survey (NALS)	63.8	45.7
	Subsidising the cost of tuition		36.0	29.2
	Providing time off		32.4	16.3
	Recognising your training in ways such as higher pay or promotion		16.1	14.7
What made you decide to take part in training?	Gain new skills for my job	NALS	50.2	61.1
	Get more satisfaction out of my work		21.4	18.9
	Get a new job		10.3	11.2
	Get a pay rise		9.3	16.8
	Set up my own business		2.5	3.9
	Get a promotion		7.3	28.4
	Stay in my job that I might have lost without doing this course		15.3	13.3
	Help me with work problems which were related to my health problems or disabilities		1.7	3.2
	Improve my knowledge/ability in the subject		57.5	61.3
	Gain a certificate or qualification		32.4	29.8
	Do something interesting		21.8	13.8
	To find out about a subject		16.9	20.1
	Have some fun		4.8	7.2
	Do something with my spare time		5.0	9.5
	Keep my body active		3.0	7.4
	Get involved with voluntary or community activities		2.7	4.7
	Help my children/family members with their schoolwork		0.8	2.1
	Help with my health problems		0.8	3.2
If you have not taken part in education or training within the past five years, why have you not done so? (Please tick all that apply.)	Prefer to spend my time doing other things	NALS	28.3	23.6
	Not interested in learning		14.1	17.5
	Do not need to learn for my work		54.0	29.3
	Do not see any point to education		2.5	21.4
	Lack of time due to work		24.7	46.3
	Lack of time due to family/caring		12.6	27.9
	Nervous about going back to classroom		4.0	7.4
	Worried about keeping up with the training		5.6	13.1
	Difficulties with reading, writing, and numbers		1.0	4.4
	Too old to learn		15.2	37.6
	Course difficult due to health/disability		0.0	3.5
	Employer would not support my learning		21.7	32.8
How are your working time arrangements set?	They are set by employer with no possibility for changes	European Working Conditions Survey	48.9	68.9
	You can choose between several fixed working schedules		9.1	13.1
	You can adapt your working hours within certain limits		34.4	12.6
	Your working hours are entirely determined by yourself		7.6	5.4
How is your health in general?	Very good		21.3	9.4
	Rather good		44.3	37.3
	Moderate		27.5	46.6
	Rather poor		6.5	6.4
	Very poor		0.5	0.4
How would you rate your current ability to work with respect to the physical demands of work?	Very good	Workability Index	38.4	12.5
	Rather good		38.1	45.3
	Moderate		20.6	39.4
	Rather poor		2.3	2.8
	Very poor		0.6	0.1
How would you rate your current ability to work with respect to the stress and mental demands of work?	Very good	WAI	35.1	9.9
	Rather good		37.9	41.1
	Moderate		22.1	43.3
	Rather poor		4.1	5.4
	Very poor		0.8	0.4
How easy or difficult do you think it would be for you to make the following arrangements?
To stay in your present job until retirement	Easy		63.3	54.6
To take on a new job within your organisation	Easy		20.5	18.5
To stay in your present job, but to vary your job content	Easy		32.9	23.9
To stay in your present job but change your working hours	Easy		34.3	24.5
To change to a job which is less demanding in your current workplace	Easy		16.8	21.9
To spend all or some of your working time mentoring or sharing knowledge with colleagues	Easy		25.9	30.6
To become self-employed	Easy		10.0	16.4
To work occasionally	Easy		19.6	18.5
How much would you agree or disagree with the following statements?
The experience of older employees is valued in my workplace	Agree		59.8	47.8
Work teams are usually age-mixed	Agree		72.9	62.3
People are treated equally regardless of age.	Agree		66.8	47.0
How would you rate your skills (including not only taught skills, but also experience and know-how) relative to what you need for?		EWCS (Modified)
Your current job requirement	At about the right level		55.5	50.3
A promotion in your workplace	At about the right level		65.9	51.8
Finding a new job within your organisation	At about the right level		64.6	50.6
Finding a new job outside your organisation	At about the right level		65.0	51.4
Sharing knowledge which could be used by work colleagues	At about the right level		63.1	57.1
How would you rate?		NHS Agenda for Change
Your formal education and training as they relate to your present job	Good/excellent		70.8	50.5
Your IT/computer skills	Good/excellent		65.8	45.4
Your problem-solving skills	Good/excellent		84.1	64.9
Your experience as it relates to your present job	Good/excellent		88.9	71.1
Your on-the-job knowledge	Good/excellent		90.9	69.5
Your knowledge of your workplace and how to get things done within it	Good/excellent		87.4	69.5
Your work-related social networks	Good/excellent		47.9	49.6
When something needs to be done, your ability to persuade others to pitch in	Good/excellent		73.0	58.8
Your ability to manage your workload	Good/excellent		85.0	62.0
Your ability to set goals in work	Good/excellent		73.8	60.9
Your adaptability to changing situations at work	Good/excellent		80.1	61.5
Your ability to identify and implement improvements in your work	Good/excellent		75.5	59.3
Your pride in the work you do	Good/excellent		81.1	48.3
Your ability to evaluate the quality of your work	Good/excellent		85.0	65.3
Your ability to work with people with different perspectives from you	Good/excellent		81.4	55.1
Your ability to make decisions based on all available information	Good/excellent		85.1	64.5
People put effort into their work for many reasons. Which is the main and second most important reasons why you put effort into work?		European Social Survey
To be satisfied with what I have accomplished	Top reason		49.8	33.9
To keep my job	Top reason		20.0	28.4
Because my work is important to other people	Top reason		12.0	4.4
To get a higher wage or promotion	Top reason		4.1	14.0
Because my work tasks are interesting	Top reason		4.1	3.5
Because it’s everyone’s duty to do their best	Top reason		10.0	15.9
How capable do you feel in being able to discuss with your manager?		CIPD Employment Outlook (modified)
Important workplace matters	Excellent/good		74.0	61.8
Your training and development	Excellent/good		64.0	42.3
Your work performance	Excellent/good		74.5	64.6
Your retirement plans	Excellent/good		42.3	35.8
The resources you need to do your job productively	Excellent/good		67.6	49.4
Any problems you may have in work	Excellent/good		66.5	52.0
Do your colleagues help and support you?	Always		27.0	22.8
	Most of the time		45.9	36.6
	Sometimes		21.3	33.6
	Rarely		4.8	5.6
How aware are you of:	Never		1.1	1.4
Your employment rights, particularly in regards to age discrimination	Aware/very aware		74.5	74.0
Your company’s human resource policies particularly in regards to retirement	Aware/very aware		62.8	66.1
What your pension or retirement income will be once you fully retire?	Aware/very aware		57.3	72.3
Does or did your employer provide pre-retirement training or support? Would you like such help now? (Whether or not you are now in paid work.)	Employer offers	Healthy Working Lives	36.2	59.6
Planning retirement activities	Employer offers		41.7	62.1
Financial planning	Employer offers		43.5	62.9
Help in using my workplace skills in new ways	Employer offers		40.0	58.4
Help in finding a new job or career	Employer offers		30.6	42.2
Business training to become self employed	Employer offers		31.1	38.7
Thinking about your present job, how much do you agree or disagree with the following statements?		ESS (Modified)
My job makes me satisfied with what I have accomplished	Agree		73.1	65.3
My job is interesting	Agree		68.4	42.3
My job is important to others	Agree		80.9	54.0
I am satisfied with my career prospects	Agree		48.1	40.4
My job is secure	Agree		52.1	58.4
I always do my best in work	Agree		89.9	73.0
Given your profession, position, industry and country, how would you rate your?		International Social Survey Project
Salary	Below average		32.9	19.6
Job quality	Below average		16.1	33.8
Job security	Below average		17.3	22.1
At what age do you plan to fully retire?	Average		65.08	61.64
Age plan to retire:	No plan to retire at present		14.4	6.8
How do you plan to finance your retirement?	Continued paid work	CROW Survey	27.3	35.8
	Don’t know		7.8	3.8
	Moving to a smaller property		15.1	6.6
	MPF		-	65.6
	Occupational pension		50.3	8.4
	Partner’s or other family member’s income		16.3	16.0
	Personal savings/investment		38.4	69.6
	Private pension		37.0	12.0
	Property investment		5.8	13.3
	State pension entitlements		77.3	4.5
Which, if any, of the following are reasons why you plan to retire, or why you have retired at the age you have stated? (Please tick all that apply.)	I have other commitments (e.g. looking after a family member)		5.4	6.2
	I have the option of retiring early and would like to take it		7.2	17.8
	I want to do voluntary work		5.1	11.7
	I will be this age when my spouse/partner plans to retire		9.5	11.1
	My job is too mentally demanding to work any longer		10.4	9.8
	My job would be too physically demanding to work any longer		14.5	8.2
	This is my employer’s specified retirement age		11.5	33.2
	This is the age I want to retire		56.1	53.1
	This is the age when I can receive a full pension		34.3	10.2
	This is the age when my financial commitments reduce (e.g. finish paying mortgage)		9.2	5.6
	To enjoy retirement as soon as I can afford to		35.0	25.7
Which of the following would you miss once you fully retire from work? (You can answer more than one).	Being with colleagues and workmates		42.8	17.0
	Having something to do		29.9	38.8
	Nothing		20.5	15.3
	The feeling of being useful		28.1	25.4
	The influence, being part of the decision making process		13.1	13.0
	The money		45.9	39.8
	The respect of my colleagues for what I do		14.4	15.8
	The work that I do		27.4	21.4
Are you looking forward to (full) retirement?	Yes, I shall be pleased to retire/it will be a relief	Ÿ	27.5	20.4
	I am relaxed about it		34.9	41.9
	Not really, I am apprehensive		18.0	17.5
	Not at all, I am dreading it		4.3	4.1
	I haven’t really thought about it.		15.4	16.1
Which of the following would you like to do before you fully retire?	To become self-employed		4.6	8.4
	To take on a new job within your organisation		8.0	6.0
	To change to a job which is less demanding in your current workplace		9.3	8.5
	To spend all or some of your working time mentoring or sharing knowledge with colleagues		10.0	10.1
	Nothing		10.5	5.9
	To stay in your present job, but to vary your job content		11.5	11.9
	To work occasionally		14.9	23.3
	To stay in your present job but change your working hours		18.0	11.0
How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements?
I am optimistic about the future	Strongly agree/agree		51.0	40.1
On the whole, my life is as close to how I would want it to be	Strongly agree/agree		44.9	44.5
I am satisfied with my life	Strongly agree/agree		56.5	47.5
I am satisfied with my present job	Strongly agree/agree		59.9	45.9
I am satisfied with how my career has turned out	Strongly agree/agree		47.0	35.3
I am satisfied with my health these days	Strongly agree/agree		55.5	41.6
I have a lot of choice over my career	Strongly agree/agree		26.4	24.9
I have a lot of choice over how and when I retire	Strongly agree/agree		42.3	32.8
I have a lot of choice over how my life turns out	Strongly agree/agree		49.1	40.5