A conversational analysis of aging in China from a cross-section of the labour market: a corpus-based study

Modern society is undergoing rapid technological growth and urbanisation. Despite the positive changes, there are still vulnerable categories of the population that adapt so quickly to the new realities. The ageing process in the developed countries of Europe, America and Southeast Asia raises the issue of further labour market development. In this regard, it is vital to understand the linguistic picture of a quickly ageing labour market, such as China. Drawing on Conversation Analysis, this study aims to investigate the impact of the ageing process on the labour market and identify associated trends in communication, behaviour and attitude. The focus is on the socio-economic context. The most important finding is that in most contexts, the language behaviour of ageing labour market participants leaned on three underpinning factors: age, social status and exposure to emotional pressure. Older adults in the Chinese labour market value their informal status, accept social hierarchy, follow strict etiquette rules, tend to self-victimise, and complain about feeling vulnerable. The present findings can help social work in China improve care for ageing adults and allow other researchers to investigate older people’s participation in the labour market.

Yonghe Xiao, Jingxuan Li