Trends and the Future of Lifelong Learning

The OECD finds that, in the future, the competitiveness of countries will increasingly depend on how long older workers, or so-called ‘silver workers’ (typically defined as those aged 50+), can be engaged in the labour market. The precondition for this is that healthy life years increase alongside rising life expectancy, that lifelong learning and updating of skills are accessible to everyone, and that employers create elderly-friendly workplaces with flexible work arrangements and adapted conditions. This is particularly critical in sectors already facing a severe shortage of top-level specialists, such as education, healthcare and engineering.

The same OECD analysis concludes that the state and employers must jointly fight against age discrimination, create elderly-friendly workplaces, and promote lifelong learning and labour mobility. It is crucial to focus on people in their fifties, as career choices and opportunities at age 50 largely determine the extent of professional activity after the age of 60.

An analysis by Kirsti Melesk and Märt Masso in the Estonian Human Development Report 2026 reveals that the lifelong learning participation rate in Estonia is higher than the European Union average (23.2% vs. 12.8%), with lifelong learning being most prevalent among highly educated women, aged 25–49. Adults with lower levels of education, people with reduced work ability and older men stand out for their very low participation rates. In other words, people who participate most in lifelong learning are those whose educational capital is already above average, while those who need it most participate the least.

The research stream “Trends and the Future of Lifelong Learning” identifies the main uncertainties and key factors shaping the future of lifelong learning in Estonia up to 2050.

The primary questions of the research stream are:

• How do the ageing of the population and the shrinking of the working-age population in Estonia affect the need for lifelong learning?
• What scenarios might emerge regarding the employment of older people and their lifelong learning in Estonia?
• What changes are needed to ensure the skills of workers aged 50+ remain up to date and to enable flexible further training and retraining throughout people’s lives?