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

The study is set against the backdrop of rapid technological progress, urbanization, internal migration, and declining fertility in many developed regions, with China facing particularly rapid population ageing. Life expectancy in China has risen while the proportion of those aged 65+ has steadily increased, and ageing is uneven across regions with strong rural-to-urban migration. Concerns exist about the adequacy of China’s pension and social security systems in the face of a shrinking labour force and risks of a middle-income trap. Digitalisation is polarising labour markets, increasing demand for high-skilled workers while reducing opportunities for low- and medium-skilled jobs, disproportionately impacting older adults with lower educational attainment. To address gaps in understanding how ageing shapes labour market communication and behaviour, the study applies Conversation Analysis to explore how ageing influences linguistic practices, behaviours, and attitudes in China’s labour market, focusing on socio-economic contexts and the roles of age, status, and emotional pressures.

Prior research links ageing to changes in cognitive functions, decision-making, social interaction, and needs, though many cognitive abilities remain comparable across middle and older age. Emotional intelligence and education are associated with better well-being and employment prospects in older age, yet many older Chinese lack higher education and may have lower emotional intelligence, warranting broader studies. Economic reforms increased female labour supply and educational levels but gaps remain relative to developed countries. Ageing populations can influence political choices, and social participation and paid work support social resilience. Workplace age bias can stem from cultural stereotypes and in-group favoritism; in China, a specific labour market niche exists for older people. Inequalities are commonly rooted in gender, age, and education; ethnic and linguistic diversity is less salient nationally for labour issues, though regional differences exist. Conversation Analysis is highlighted as a suitable method to examine age-related communicative patterns, with few existing studies directly addressing ageing and social change through this lens. This study aims to fill that gap by analysing age-driven trends in communication, behaviour, and attitudes within the Chinese labour market.

The study employs Conversation Analysis (CA) to guide the identification of patterns and hypotheses, coupled with corpus-based quantitative analyses of repeated linguistic and behavioural patterns. Conversations were recorded in urban contexts where locals and rural migrants co-exist, focusing on settings such as recruitment, production decision-making, conflict resolution, financial issues, receiving orders, and discussions with family/friends at or after work about employment, prospects, and concerns. The core participants were Chinese residents aged 60 and above, reflecting statutory retirement ages (men 60, women 50, white-collar women 55). All participants used Mandarin to avoid dialectal misunderstandings. A secondary group included employers, coworkers, family members, or friends involved in conversations about labour or financial/social issues. Recordings took place in public or agreed locations (streets, workplaces) to capture relaxed interactions; accuracy of self-reported information could not be guaranteed. The corpus was transcribed and examined for recurrent utterances and behaviours, then subjected to quantitative analyses to assess contextual relationships. The sample comprised 3820 individuals (2271 aged 60–65; 1580 aged 65+), with approximately equal representation of locals and migrants per city and a near balance of men (n=1902) and women (n=1933). Each core participant had 7–16 interlocutors; conversations involved 2–5 people, and there were 2–39 separate conversations per core participant; each conversation text was treated as an independent variable. Data collection occurred May–July 2021 in six cities across central and western provinces and centrally administered cities: Nanjing and Suzhou (Jiangxi province), Chengdu (Sichuan province), Zhengzhou (Henan province), Shanghai, and Beijing. The research team from Jiangxi Normal University, with trained assistants, conducted the recordings during a period with minimal COVID-19 restrictions. All recordings and participant demographics were stored in a database for analysis. Descriptive statistics and correlation analyses were used to examine identified patterns.

- Across contexts, older participants’ language behaviour is underpinned by three factors: age, social status, and exposure to emotional pressure. - In recruitment and workplace interactions, the elderly commonly express satisfaction, praise interlocutors, and offer life advice—responses that are traditional and expected in these contexts. - Older people tend to follow strict etiquette and traditional politeness norms in nearly all interactions involving production, employment, or financial matters. Informal constructions appear mainly with younger interlocutors whose social status is equal to or higher than the older participant’s. When speaking with older or higher-status individuals, elderly participants produce shorter utterances. - Older Chinese participants exhibit tendencies toward self-victimisation and insecurity: not responding to criticism, speaking in shorter sentences, silently receiving instructions/orders, avoiding discussions involving senior officials, and restricting discussions of perceived injustice to peers or those with similar status. These behaviours likely reflect fear of punishment, social maladjustment, and job loss. - Overall, older adults value maintaining informal status, accept social hierarchies, and display heightened sensitivity to emotional pressure, aligning with traditional norms within the labour market.

The findings highlight that socialisation and adaptation challenges among older workers are particularly salient in China due to uneven pension coverage and lower per capita income compared to developed countries. Preserving older adults’ workforce participation supports social resilience and psychological well-being. Older individuals often delay identifying as “old,” especially where ageing entails perceived loss of opportunities. Traditional Chinese values of respect for elders persist, but demographic shifts and caregiving capacity concerns may increase the risk of social isolation unless employment is maintained. Internal migration—dominated by younger cohorts—complicates ageing labour dynamics and remains underexplored, as do age-related recruitment and vertical mobility patterns. Technological change and AI are expected to reshape the labour market; estimates suggest up to 278 million jobs (35.8% of current employment) could be automated in China by 2049, disproportionately affecting women and less-educated older workers. Digital inclusion initiatives (computer literacy, simplified platforms) can mitigate risks but require motivation and support to reduce stress and improve confidence among older adults. The study interprets older workers’ adherence to hierarchy and traditional politeness as a potential self-protective response to perceived threats from changing status structures, where younger leaders increasingly occupy decision-making roles. Enduring cultural norms regarding elders as custodians of knowledge may slow psychological and social transformation, but proactive digital education and supportive policies are needed to sustain older adults’ labour market participation.

Applying Conversation Analysis to a large corpus of spoken interactions among older adults in China, the study identifies three core factors shaping language behaviour in labour contexts: age, social status, and exposure to emotional pressure. Older workers strive to maintain informal status, adhere to strict etiquette, and show tendencies toward self-victimisation and insecurity. The corpus, collected from approximately 3800 individuals in central Chinese cities and analysed with descriptive and correlational methods, provides an empirical basis for understanding communicative patterns amid rapid socio-economic change. These insights can inform interventions to enhance well-being and inclusion among at-risk older groups and serve as a foundation for further research on ageing, labour participation, and communication in varied socio-economic and regional contexts.

- Conversation Analysis, even when paired with quantitative pattern analysis, does not constitute a fully quantitative study. - The study reflects a linguistic and social reality constructed through communication rather than statistically verified factors from a representative sample. - The geographic scope is limited to a small number of cities; rural and autonomous regions with distinct ethnic, linguistic, and religious contexts were not covered and warrant future study.