Leuphana labour researchers advise OECD
2025-08-13 Retired people are often still fit and willing to work. At the same time, the economy is struggling to find skilled workers. Prof. Dr. Jürgen Deller has been researching why pensioners and retirees stay in work for many years. A request from France has now highlighted the relevance of retirement work.
Not just in Germany: ‘Retirement work is a global issue. More and more societies are ageing,’ explains business psychologist Jürgen Deller. The OECD therefore wants to find out more about the situation in its member countries worldwide and plans to use artificial intelligence to analyse huge amounts of data on work and age. Jürgen Deller is one of the most renowned scientists in this field internationally and advises the OECD.
Together with other work and ageing experts, he was invited to the headquarters of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris. The OECD is particularly interested in Deller's ‘Later Life Workplace Index’. The psychologist developed the scientific measure in the 2010s in cooperation with the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Goinger Kreis, among others:
Jürgen Deller and his team survey managers, HR professionals and employees about the quality of workplace factors that are relevant for successfully managing an ageing workforce. Nine criteria, such as leadership, working atmosphere, pension provision and continuing to work in retirement, are recorded in a comprehensive questionnaire. ‘The OECD wants to train artificial intelligence using our method and use it to evaluate huge amounts of data, for example from scientific surveys or the Internet,’ explains Jürgen Deller.
In 2007, he published his highly acclaimed study on so-called silver workers, i.e. people who are still working in old age. "Work provides structure and creates social contacts. Many people want to continue developing in old age while passing on their knowledge to younger people. Work plays a central role in their self-esteem,‘ explains the business psychologist. Jürgen Deller conducts research in over thirty countries worldwide – from the USA to Ukraine, from Portugal to Japan, from Saudi Arabia to Israel. ’We provide companies with figures, data and facts so that management can make better decisions for employee-friendly working conditions. This also benefits the organisation,‘ he explains. The researcher has conducted surveys for the German Federal Bank and an operator of retirement homes, for example: ’Our data clearly shows that many people want to continue working in retirement – and they are needed. Politicians must now create the opportunities," says the professor.
He himself is in contact with economic policymakers at federal and state level.