Digital skills use profiles among older workers in the United States: a person-centered approach

Abstract

Considering the digitalisation of the workplace and increasingly crucial digital skill proficiency in the technology-rich labour market, the objectives of the present study are to develop digital skill use profiles and to identify specific individual characteristics that are linked with digital skill use patterns among older workers in the United States. However, relatively little is known about older workers’ digital skill use patterns and skill use opportunity structures. Data of the U.S. older workers (age 50 years and older; n = 1,670) were obtained from the 2012/2014/2017 International Assessment of the Adult Competencies (PIAAC). Latent class analysis – a form of person-centred approach that identifies subgroups based on distinctive digital skill use patterns, showed that there were two underlying subgroups of older workers, including more frequent and less frequent digital skill users. More frequent users practiced a greater variety of digital skills both at work and outside of work than their counterparts. Also, logistic regression analysis showed that higher digital skill proficiency and full-time employment (vs. part-time) were associated with belonging to the more frequent digital skill use subgroup. The digital skill use profiles of U.S. older workers, subgroup characteristics, and implications for adult education and labour policies are evaluated.