Report: Estonia needs to be prepared for a working life spanning 45 years

Eneli Kindsiko, an expert at the Foresight Centre, noted that as average life expectancy increases, working life inevitably extends as well, and education acquired in youth is no longer sufficient for a person’s entire career. “Unfortunately, we can no longer assume that the education we acquired in our youth will sustain us through the subsequent 40-50 years of our working life,” she said. “At the same time, people tend to stop learning in their middle age, and the whole of Europe is currently facing the issue of how to ensure lifelong learning into people’s old age in an ageing society.”

Currently, the length of expected working life is 41.5 years in Estonia. In the future, however, Estonia will need a lifelong learning system that will support a working life spanning nearly 45 years and enable multiple updates of skills, retraining and career changes during that time. The World Economic Forum estimates that 39% of the core skills of current workers will become obsolete by 2030, and 59 out of every 100 workers will require further training.

Kindsiko pointed out that Estonia exceeds the European Union average for participation in lifelong learning, but learning tends to end when people become middle-aged. “23% of people take part in adult learning, with highly educated women aged 25–49 participating the most,” said Kindsiko. “Adults with lower levels of education, people with reduced work ability, and older men participate the least in further education.”

The Foresight Centre points out in its short report that, in the later stages of life and career, participation in learning depends mostly on the employer’s support, the availability of suitable learning opportunities and the person’s individual motivation.

The OECD highlights that mid-career is a critical stage in a person’s working life, as work and family obligations can hinder learning, while a changing labour market demands constant adaptation. The OECD points out that the risk of becoming excluded from the labour market and social life increases as well when a person approaches retirement age.

Estonian data confirm these risks. The PIAAC survey of adult skills shows that in Estonia, the skill level is highest among those who are 26 to 35 years old and begins to decline steadily after that. After the age of 55, participation in adult education also decreases significantly, as only 10% of those aged 55–64 take part in further training.

The short report “Extending Working Life and Lifelong Learning” (in Estonian) has been prepared as part of the research stream “Trends and the Future of Lifelong Learning”. The research stream “Trends and the Future of Lifelong Learning” aims to identify the main uncertainties and key factors shaping the future of lifelong learning in Estonia up to 2050.