Kristina Matuzeviciute (p), Alma Maciulyte-Sniukiene , Dovile Rupliene

Purpose – aging population causes a number of economic and social problems related with changes in labour market. In this regard, this study aims to evaluate the effect of population aging on EU member states labour market main indicator – labour force, which has direct impact on economic growth potential.
Research methodology – in order to achieve the aim of the study we applied: i) trend analysis for estimates and presenta-tion population and labour force changes over period, and ii) decomposition method for examine effects of population and labour force structure by age changes on size of labour force.
Findings – countries can be divided into three groups: (1) countries where the volume of labour force has increased both as a result of population growth and an increase in activity rates; (2) countries with an increasing labour force, but declining population; (3) countries with a declining labour force due to depopulation.
Research limitations – research results support theoretical approach that population aging may negatively affect labour market, but do not provide ways for the solving of this problem and this is the direction for future research.
Practical implications – the obtained results are useful for labour market (including pension reforms) policy makers.
Originality/Value – the study contributes scientific literature by extend understanding of the aging population problems that occur in labour market and fill the gap in research of aging population impact on labour market using EU member state data.

Hiba Bawardi (p)

Housing and location choice among Palestinian citizens in Israel: preferences versus constraints
Hiba Bawardi, Eran Feitelson, Sigal Kaplan

The Arab Palestinian citizens of Israel suffer from a housing shortage due to the land issues and the lack of valid and suitable planning in their villages. The solutions provided to the Arab population within Arab villages and towns are limited. In recent years we are witnessing a beginning of inter-regional migration of young educated Palestinian individuals and/or families to the mixed Arab-Jewish cities or to the big metropolitan largely-Jewish cities which are characterized by modernistic housing solutions, wider job opportunities and better urban services. The urban lifestyles in the cities differ in their residential patterns from the rural Palestinian villages and cities, which are characterized by detached, shared family dwelling mostly built on the family’s privet lands. This raises the question regarding the Palestinian youth’s decision of relocating, whether it is by choice (preferences) or due to limitations related to resources, land tenure, discrimination, or the structure of the housing market.
This study aims to better understand the housing barriers and decision motivators that affect the Palestinian population within Israel by examining the housing preferences and choice of young educated Palestinians. We try to understand the household’s preferences regarding the house they would like to live in comparison to the house they attain by examining both of their housing preferences and choices. We investigate the housing preferences of 350 academic and graduate Palestinian Israelis and the logic underlying their actual choices of residential location in order to examine whether we are indeed witnessing a transition from a traditional residential style toward a different type of housing - urban, multi-story, apartment buildings. The methodology will contain 2-3 focus groups through them we’ll hear about the participants preferences and opinions regarding their housing and location choices. conclusions from the focus groups will be used to prepare a questioner that will be used as a tool for conducting a survey. The survey data will serve for discrete choice model estimation that will allow understanding the housing preferences and choice of Palestinian youth and their motivators toward it.
This study will contribute to decision-making regarding the housing needs and supply for the Palestinian citizens of Israel by widening the types of residential option available to them.