According to the The Office of National Statistics (ONS), older UK people in the labour market are working longer beyond state retirement age.
Statistics out last month show the following numbers:
- 1.4 million the number of people of state retirement age and above, or double the number 20 years ago in 1993 when the figure was 753,00
- 32 per cent of older workers are likely to be self-employed,as compared with 13 per cent for younger people
- 8-in-10 older workers have been with same employer for five or more years. Around two thirds of them are working part-time having gone on from full-time with the same employer
- Men working later in life tend to stay on in higher skill roles while women tend to stay on in lower skill roles
- Just over a half (51 per cent) of older workers are in small organisations of fewer than 25 employees
Some factors for these statistics are put down to:
- the number of ‘baby boomers’ reaching state pension age has grown faster than the increase in the general population
- improvements over the last two decades in health and well-being
- financial pressures arising from higher ‘elderly’ inflation and the economic climate over recent years
- mortality rates record that this group are living longer making it necessary to provide for a longer period of retirement
- a general wish to remain active in society
For a fuller and official report from the ONS including an interesting animated video you can go to this link http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171776_267809.pdf