Employment Opportunities of Pre-Retirement Age (60 to 64) Individuals: Digital Self-Perception and Regional Polarisation / Priešpensinio amžiaus (60–64 m.) asmenų užimtumo galimybės: skaitmeninė savivoka ir regioninė poliarizacija

This article analyses the employment of people of pre-retirement age (60 to 64 years old), and its links to digital literacy and subjective health status in Lithuania. The aim of the study is to identify the main technological and social barriers limiting the motivation and opportunities of older working-age people to remain in the labour market in the context of regional exclusion. Secondary data analysis was performed for the study, using data from a representative survey of the Lithuanian population in 2025 (n=650). Comparative analysis was applied, dividing respondents into two age groups (50 to 59 years and 60 to 64 years), and assessing their declared digital literacy according to place of residence and education. The study revealed a clear regional polarisation: in rural areas, low or zero digital self-awareness among 60 to 64-year-olds reaches 23.9%, while in the capital this indicator is eliminated. It was found that higher education acts as a protective factor against technological isolation, while people with secondary education usually have only basic competencies that are insufficient in the digitalised labour market. The employment trajectories of pre-retirement age people in Lithuania are determined by the complex interaction between declining investment in human capital, poorer subjective health status, and a lack of digital trust. The article concludes that active ageing in regions often becomes forced activity, determined by economic deprivation rather than successful technological adaptation.