Pension age Britons continuing to work

06/03/11
News

Over-65s are opting to continue working instead of retiring.

More older people are employed in the UK but fewer young people have managed to find work.

Twice the number of people over the age of 65 are working in the UK compared with figures recorded ten years ago, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

More older people were working in both full time and part time positions at the end of 2010 but youth employment was found to be at a record high.

Between the months of October and December, over-65s accounted for 270,000 full time workers in Britain, which equates to 2.7% of the total population of that specific age group. Just 106,000 UK employees existed over the age of 65 between the months of January and March 2001, indicating that figures have increased by more than double.

The ONS data also revealed that more over-65s are employed in part-time employment than in full-time employment. About 600,000 older people were found to be working in part-time positions, which is again double the amount recorded in 2001.

Michelle Mitchell, of charity Age UK, said: “Age should never be a barrier to achievement and research has shown that many older workers have no intention of taking it easy and are still looking to continue to progress with their careers”.

It was highlighted that the majority of workers over-65s had been employed by their current employer for five years or more. Just over two fifths were found to have been in continuous employment with the same firm for the past twenty years.

The study also showed that unemployment amongst 16 to 24-year-olds rose to a record high with one in five youths out of work at the end of last year.