Developing enhanced measures of aging to understand chronological-age inequalities in work and health outcomes

Aging workers represent one of the fastest growing segments of the Canadian labour force. These workers are often viewed as one of the most skilled, knowledgeable and productive segments of the workforce. Thus, in recent decades, policies have focused on keeping older workers engaged in the labour market. However, there are important implications for occupational health and safety in Canada, relating to well-documented differences in work-health outcomes across chronological age groups. Despite numerous studies, researchers have yet to fully understand and account for these observed age inequalities. Thus, the development of better conceptual measures of aging may be warranted. This study aims to provide a deeper understanding of the conceptual diversity of age through the development and application of enhanced age measures.