A study examined how older employees themselves assess the effects of age on their learning at work and job competence and how older workers rate the importance of different aspects of competence. Then the study compared the results of the first two questions by looking at the subjective age-effect ratings on competence aspects of various importance. The data used in the study are part of a larger, European Union research project that used completed questionnaires from 167 employees, with an age range of 24-62 years from small and medium-sized businesses. For this study, only the responses of 91 persons who were aged 40 years or older were used. The results of the study showed the following: (1) most of the general competence domains listed in the questionnaire were rated as age-independent; (2) when age was reported to influence competence this effect was most typically positive, indicating improvement with age; (3) all of the general competence domains listed were rated important or very important; and (4) most of the competence domains that were rated most important by a majority of the respondents were also the ones that were rated to improve by age or to be age-independent. The study concluded that in many respects age was not reported to have any effect on the domains of competence assessed, although this result gives no indication of the actual level of these competencies. (Contains 18 references.) (KC)