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Pushed into Unemployment, Pulled into Retirement: Facing Old Age in Gothenburg, 1923-1943

Author

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  • Karlsson, Tobias

    (Department of Economy and Society, School of Business, Economics and Law)

Abstract

Along with rapid growth and improved standards of living, the first decades of the twentieth century saw the introduction of new technology and new ways to organize production. There are contrasting views on what impact these developments, often summarized as the Second Industrial Revolution, had on the situation of old men in the labour market. Some contemporary observers and modern-day historians have described how old men were crowded out of the labour force and pushed into an ‘industrial scrap heap’. Other researchers have maintained a more optimistic view on the opportunities of old men and argued that labour force withdrawal often was made possible by rising real earnings and savings. Since most of the research in the field has been based on cross-sectional data, the debate has relied on anecdotes, indirect evidence and assumptions.This paper uses data from a longitudinal panel of men living in the city of Gothenburg during the period 1923-1943. In contrast to most previous studies, this one takes up actual transitions into retirement and how such transitions were associated with access to resources. The main result is that a lack of resources was associated with a higher risk of retirement. This association appears even clearer when the sample is restricted to workingclass men and to the latter half of the period of investigation, when unemployment was lower and pension benefits higher. Thus, it would appear that transitions into retirement were most frequent when push and pull mechanisms were combined.

Suggested Citation

  • Karlsson, Tobias, 2015. "Pushed into Unemployment, Pulled into Retirement: Facing Old Age in Gothenburg, 1923-1943," Göteborg Papers in Economic History 19, University of Gothenburg, Unit for Economic History.
  • Handle: RePEc:hhs:gunhis:0019
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2077/38489
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    Cited by:

    1. Öberg, Stefan, 2017. "An introduction to using twin births as instrumental variables for sibship size," Göteborg Papers in Economic History 22, University of Gothenburg, Unit for Economic History.
    2. Hamark, Jesper & Turner, Russell, 2021. "Wage distribution within the Swedish State Railways, 1877–1951: Material and methods," Göteborg Papers in Economic History 28, University of Gothenburg, Unit for Economic History.
    3. Öberg, Stefan, 2018. "Instrumental variables based on twin births are by definition not valid," Göteborg Papers in Economic History 23, University of Gothenburg, Unit for Economic History.
    4. Hamark, Jesper & Lapidus, John, 2022. "Unions, insurance and changing welfare states: The emergence of obligatory complementary income insurance in Sweden," Göteborg Papers in Economic History 29, University of Gothenburg, Unit for Economic History.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    labour markets; ageing; retirement; Sweden; inter-war period ISSN: 1653-;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination
    • J26 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Retirement; Retirement Policies
    • N34 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - Europe: 1913-
    • N94 - Economic History - - Regional and Urban History - - - Europe: 1913-

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