Retirement can no longer be conceptualized as disengagement, as the end of a person’s career, as it is in the life-span, life-space theory. Increasingly, retirees are returning to work, in paid and unpaid positions, in a part-time or full-time capacity, as an act of re-engagement. Vocational psychology theories are yet to adequately conceptualize the phenomenon of retirees’ re-engagement in work. The research reported in this paper is the first attempt to understand re-engagement through the theoretical lens of career construction theory and its central construct, career adaptability. The study involved intensive interviews with 22 retirees between the ages of 56 and 78 years (M = 68.24), who had retired no less than one year prior to the study. Participants were engaged in a discussion about their reasons for returning to the world of work. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts extracted evidence of the four career adaptability resources: concern, control, curiosity, and confidence. In addition, the influence of family and making a contribution were discerned as important themes. These findings are the first evidence that the career construction theory and career adaptability provide a new conceptual lens to theorize and conduct research into the phenomenon of retirement.

The United Nation's Sustainable Development Goal 8 (SDG8) emphasizes decent work and the need to generate employment for vulnerable groups such as women, youth, and low-income rural and urban residents. Though extended retirement age policies to sustain workforce productivity are promulgated across OECD states, within SDG8 there is no evident focus on older citizens’ need for decent work. We believe this goal lacks detail in addressing the specific needs of older and post-retirement workers and their equal vulnerability to inadequate decent work conditions, economic strain, and diminished well-being. We expand on this issue with particular focus on this older cohort's predictors and attainment of decent work and proffer the psychology of working theory as a foundation to redress the inadequacy of SDG8 and formulate recommendations for policy and research to recognize the needs of older and post-retirement workers. This approach is aligned with the Psychology of Sustainability and Sustainable Development framework in a lifelong perspective.

This study highlights the need to recognize and train agricultural workers in essential non-technical skills to enhance workforce effectiveness and sustainability within the agriculture sector. Focused on the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia, the research involved initial semi-structured interviews with three agricultural training managers to identify relevant non-technical skills for food and fibre workplaces. Representatives from twenty Gippsland food and fibre businesses were then surveyed to rate these identified skills across different workforce segments: (a) seasonal workers, (b) entry-level workers, (c) supervisors, and (d) managers. Descriptive statistics, including frequency counts, means, and standard deviations, were used to analyze the responses. Employer ratings for skill needs were weighted against the number of workers employed in each workforce segment. Key non-technical skills such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and cross-cultural competence were found to be in high demand, particularly among seasonal and entry-level workers. However, there is a significant gap between the importance of these skills and their prioritization in accredited training programs. Addressing this gap is crucial for investing in a skilled and adaptable agricultural sector that is competitive and sustainable. The theoretical understandings derived from this study’s results warrant further research and replication in diverse commodity sectors and locations within Australia and internationally.

Objective: To systematically review evaluated local, community or peer‐delivered well‐being and employment interventions delivered within regional, rural and remote Australia.Design: Searches within nine databases retrieved peer‐reviewed and grey literature from an initial pool of 3186 papers published between 2012 and 2022. PRISMA guidelines were adhered to, and the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used to assess the quality of the well‐being or employment (or both) articles.Findings: A total of 19 items met the inclusion criteria, which included two quantitative, 12 qualitative and five mixed‐methods evaluations. Intervention cohorts included Indigenous Australians, youth, older people, workers and the general community. The average methodological rating was 83%. The overall level of evidence for the interventions was low due to mostly descriptive studies.Discussion: Interventions that appeared effective in improving well‐being tended to focus on addressing social connectedness and self‐determination. Unexpected employment outcomes were evident across many of the studies, which highlighted the reciprocity between well‐being and employment.Conclusion: This review highlights promising interventions for improving well‐being by focusing on social connectedness and self‐determination. Further empirical evidence is encouraged to explore the reciprocal relationship between well‐being and employment, emphasising the significance of social connectedness and self‐determination in this context.

This paper explores how educators’ perceptions of the agricultural industry and associated careers, along with their self-efficacy in agricultural career education, impact outcomes related to advising students on pursuing employment in the sector. The results of a quantitative study surveying 195 secondary school educators involved in delivering career support and advice in New South Wales, Australia is presented. Data analysis employed descriptive and inferential statistics to explore relationships between educators’ perceptions of agricultural careers and their delivery of career advice. By examining attitudinal influences on career advice, the research investigated perceptions of the agricultural industry, career pathways, and discussions with students. It also explored educators’ attitudes towards industry standards, decent work, progressiveness, limiting beliefs about agricultural jobs, and self-efficacy for agricultural career education. This paper provides insights that will inform the development of interventions that support secondary school-based educators to provide agriculture career advice to students and promote interest in agricultural career paths among students.