Avaliação da capacidade de trabalho versus envelhecimento dos funcionários, num município português de média dimensão

Introduction Europe’s working population is aging, and a number of organizations have consistently defined the category of workers over 55 as “Older Workers” in a context where, in the short / medium term, their productive capacity will be fundamental for several countries. Objective In order to understand the implications of this change for occupational health, it is intended to: a) characterize the population of older workers in a municipality in Portugal with respect to their capacity for work; b) comparing a sample of older workers with another sample of workers aged less than 35 years. Method This is a descriptive, correlational, comparative cross-sectional study, carried out after the application of a survey of workers in Albufeira municipality, with 1301 individuals. To obtain the final sample, the age-stratified sampling method was used. The study was authorized by the municipal responsible and the workers’ participation complied with all ethical requirements. Results The sample of Older Workers is less educated, has less differentiated jobs and maintains gender balance, something that does not happen in the younger ones where the females are more prevalent. When comparing work capacity, there is an increase in morbidity and disability in the older age group, as well as a more negative feeling associated with the current intrinsic capacity, the capacity to face the demands of the task, and the available psychological resources. There is also a higher rate of long-term absenteeism and limitations in sensory perception (visual and auditory) that affect work capacity, factors that put them in a situation of greater vulnerability towards the Young Workers. As far as the environment and interpersonal relationships are concerned, they believe that the employer values less their work than the other rest, and they are the only ones who report the existence of bad or very bad working environments. However, they do not present many suggestions for improvement. Regarding the idealize retirement age, it exists a direct relationship with work ability (assessed with the WAI- work ability index) although they seem to be poorly informed about measures that could potentially facilitate and promote their physical and mental health, as well as their working capacity. However, they suggest increasing the number of holidays/ days off as facilitators. Conclusion The study concluded that there are statistically significant differences in almost all the areas analyzed, with detriment to older workers. It is therefore urgent to rethink new solutions in order to ensure in the future the maintenance of its productive capacity in a healthy and lasting way.