A quarter of older workers consider leaving because of their health

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A quarter of people aged 55 or over with a health condition are considering leaving work, suggesting that employers are not providing enough support for them. According to the Centre for Ageing Better, two in five people with a health condition have not received any support at work. Its research, published in its Health warning for employers: supporting older workers with health conditions report, suggested that early access to support, empathetic management and small adjustments to working patterns and the working environment could all help enable people with a condition to remain in employment for longer. Its survey of 1,000 employees also found that 44% of those aged 50-64 had a health condition, compared to 25% of 25-49-year-olds. Almost a quarter (23%) of 50-64-year-olds were managing two or more long-term conditions. The report estimated that around 700,000 additional people will be classed as working age when the state pension age increases to 66 in 2019. If the proportion of people aged 65 or over who are unable to work matches that of 60-64-year-olds currently, approximately 90,000 additional people would be eligible to receive Employment and Support Allowance, it claimed. Jemma Mouland, senior programme manager at the Centre for Ageing Better, suggested that significant numbers of older people were missing out on the benefits of work because of their health. “Falling out of work involuntarily leads to significant long-term problems, including loss of income and retirement savings, weakening social connections, and a diminished sense of purpose. “Government and employers can