Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Latest NewsEquality, diversity and inclusionAge discriminationRetirementPensions

Proportion of older workers grows rapidly

by Adam McCulloch 10 Dec 2019
by Adam McCulloch 10 Dec 2019

The gap between the employment rate of 50- to 64-year-olds and under-50s may be at its narrowest in 25 years as the proportion of older workers grows far more rapidly.

New analysis of Office for National Statistics figures by jobs website Rest Less, also suggested that employment rate among the 50-64 age group has increased from 56% in 1992 to 72% in 2018. The employment rate of 16-49s in contrast has grown much less, from 73% in 1992 to 78% today.

Supporting older workers

Age discrimination holder workers back

Better support for older workers could be major boost to the economy 

How employers can support the growing band of older workers

Stuart Lewis, founder of Rest Less, said the employment rate of 16-49s had always been significantly higher than the older age group but “the proportion of 50-64 year olds in work … is quickly gaining ground on the 16-49s.”

He suggested that the rising state pension age coupled with the move away from the security of final salary pension schemes was forcing many people to work for many years longer than they might have planned. In addition, there was now wider appreciation of the health, social and wellbeing benefits of remaining in work for longer.

!function(e,i,n,s){var t=”InfogramEmbeds”,d=e.getElementsByTagName(“script”)[0];if(window[t]&&window[t].initialized)window[t].process&&window[t].process();else if(!e.getElementById(n)){var o=e.createElement(“script”);o.async=1,o.id=n,o.src=”https://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed-loader-min.js”,d.parentNode.insertBefore(o,d)}}(document,0,”infogram-async”);

Lewis added: “The implications of the rising numbers of 50-64 year olds in the workplace are vast and with future population growth coming almost entirely from the over 50s, employers who find ways to actively attract and retain this talented and hard working section of the workforce will be those that thrive over the coming decades.”

For Patrick Thomson, senior programme manager at the Centre for Ageing Better, the improvement in the rate had benefits beyond those pertaining to individuals. He said: “We know that improving employment rates for over-50s will unlock huge benefits for the UK’s economy, as well as helping people stay financially secure in later life.”

He added, however, that over-50s still too often faced barriers when it came to getting the kind of work they wanted and returning to the workforce after a career break and called on employers to play a more substantial role in closing the employment gap. He said: “Crucially, tackling ageism in the recruitment process will prevent employers from missing out on the skills and experience of older workers.”

Latest HR job opportunities on Personnel Today

Browse more human resources jobs

 

Adam McCulloch
Adam McCulloch

Adam McCulloch is a freelance writer and production editor who has worked in sectors including travel (The Guardian), aviation (Flight International), agriculture (Farmers' Weekly), music (Jazzwise), theatre (The Stage) and social work (Community Care). He also works for a national newspaper and is the author of KentWalksNearLondon

previous post
Conservative voters more confident about career prospects
next post
Fewer than one in four construction staff have workplace pension

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

You may also like

Nurses leaving due to pressure and workplace culture

18 May 2022

Gender pensions gap: half of women expect to...

9 May 2022

How to enhance your hire to retire processes...

25 Apr 2022

Reducing legal risks around retirement conversations

24 Feb 2022

How coaching can make retirement an ‘encore’ worth...

4 Feb 2022

Dementia sufferer wins age and disability case against...

6 Jan 2022

Early retirement due to menopause means pensions shortfall

6 Dec 2021

When is compulsory retirement justified?

18 Nov 2021

EAT rules on University of Oxford retirement age...

28 Sep 2021

Older staff working from home more likely to...

26 Aug 2021
  • Apprenticeships are the solution to your recruitment problems PROMOTED | Apprenticeships have the pulling power...Read more
  • What it really means to be mentally fit PROMOTED | What is mental fitness...Read more
  • How music can help to ease anxiety at work PROMOTED | A lot has happened since March 2020, hasn’t it?...Read more
  • Why now is the time to plug the unhealthy gap PROMOTED | We’ve all heard the term ‘health is wealth’...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+