More old people in work
Mar 03 2011
Older workers are making up more of the UK's total workforce
The number of people aged 65 or over in full-time employment has more than doubled in the last decade to 270,000, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
That compares to a figure of 106,000 older people who worked full-time from January to March 2001.
There are now 600,000 men and women aged 65 or over in part-time jobs, nearly double the 306,000 in 2001.
‘Over the last decade these older workers are making up an increasing percentage of the total workforce in the UK, doubling from 1.5 per cent in 2001, to 3 per cent in 2010,’ says ONS statistician Jamie Jenkins.
The older generation fared better than the younger age groups in the job market during the recession.
The full-time employment rate fell by 7.4 percentage points in the 16 to 24 age group between the periods January to March 2008 (the last quarter prior to the recession) and October to December 2010, but it increased by 0.5 percentage points for those aged 65 or over.
Dave Prentis, general secretary of UNISON, believes rising inflation and cuts to pensions are forcing older people to continue working, often beyond the age of retirement.
He warns, ‘These figures will only continue to rise as people live longer and are unable to cope with rising economic pressures.’
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