Does economic skills obsolescence increase older workers' absenteeism?

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Human Resource Management
• Socioeconomics

Background:

• New skill requirements in the workplace can lead to economic skills obsolescence (ESO).
• ESO may impact employee absenteeism, but the mediating factors are not well understood.
• This is the first multidisciplinary study to investigate the link between ESO and absenteeism.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine if economic skills obsolescence (ESO) increases absence frequency and duration.
• To determine if burnout and work engagement mediate the relationship between ESO and absenteeism.
• To provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact of skill gaps on employee absence.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study design using data from the Dutch Study on Transitions in Employment, Ability and Motivation (N=4493).
• Structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze direct and indirect effects.
• Bootstrapping methods to compute confidence intervals for indirect effects.

Main Results:

• Economic skills obsolescence (ESO) at baseline positively predicted burnout at follow-up.
• Burnout positively predicted absence frequency and duration; work engagement negatively predicted them.
• ESO significantly indirectly increased absence frequency and duration via burnout and lower work engagement.

Conclusions:

• Economic skills obsolescence (ESO) is linked to increased employee absence frequency and duration.
• Burnout and decreased work engagement are significant mediators in the ESO-absenteeism relationship.
• Addressing skill gaps is crucial for reducing workplace absenteeism and improving employee well-being.