Call for employers to adopt ‘age-friendly’ practices

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has shown that the number of people aged 70 or older who are still at work has doubled in a decade to almost 500,000 people.

The first quarter of 2019 saw a peak of 497,946 over-70s in either full or part-time employment, according to the ONS. The figure represents a 135 per cent increase in the number of over-70s in work over the last 10 years.

The figures also showed that a twelfth of septuagenarians are working, in contrast to just one in 22 a decade ago.

The figures have prompted to Centre for Ageing Better to call on employers to take greater account of the needs of older workers.

Patrick Thompson, Senior Programme Manager at the Centre for Ageing Better, said: “As we all live longer lives, more of us want to work for longer. To do that, we need fulfilling jobs which give us a sense of meaning, help us keep vital social connections, and provide us with financial stability as we age.

“With fewer younger people starting work to place those set to retire in future years, uncertainty over Brexit, and worsening skills and labour shortages, it’s vital that employers wake up and adopt age-friendly practices like flexible working to enable people to work for as long as they want.

“The face of Britain’s workforce is changing dramatically. We can’t afford to ignore our older workers.”

Link: Number of over-70s still in work more than doubles in a decade