News
Proportion of older people staying in work grows
21 July 2011
The number of people working in their 50s and 60s has significantly increased over the past 20 years, according to new data from the TUC.In April 1992, 56.5 per cent of people aged between 50 and 64 were in employment – a figure which rose to 64.9 per cent by December 2010. Over the same period, the proportion of those aged over 64 who were still working jumped from 5.5 to 9 per cent, the TUC analysis shows.
The report also reveals that young people are less likely to be in employment than two decades ago: in April 1992, 48.8 per cent of 16 and 17-year-olds were in employment, but that figure dropped to 23.6 per cent by December 2010. For 18 to 24-year-olds, the employment rate has fallen from 65.8 per cent to around 58 per cent over the same period. The TUC attributed the fall in employment in these age groups in to both the expansion of education opportunities and the effects of the recession.
The report is available from the TUC website at Age and Gender: What has changed in the labour market in recent years.