Increased labour force participation of people of retirement age is seen as one of the ways to address the future shortage of skilled workers. Studies show which occupations are particularly affected by a shortage of skilled workers. In addition to the health professions, for which a separate project contribution on the shortage of skilled workers is already being realised, the engineering professions in particular stand out: these include, for example, architects, civil, IT and electrical engineers. Engineering professions are characterised by a high proportion of people with tertiary-level education, low unemployment and low occupational mobility, i.e. workers in this occupational field have a very specific educational background and often remain loyal to the occupation. At the same time, the potential for people entering the engineering professions from other professions is minimal. This baseline situation makes the continued employment of engineers beyond the standard retirement age particularly important.

The existing good practices in Switzerland as well as the hurdles and obstacles to employment 65+ in this occupational field are still not sufficiently known and will therefore be analysed by the project team for the benefit of employers. In addition, international case studies are used to derive possible measures at the state level.