Over-50s in England ‘Prematurely Shuffled out of Labour Market’

A decade-long rise in the number of over-50s in employment in England has stalled, prompting concerns that older people are being “prematurely shuffled out of the labour market”.

Figures from the Department for Work and Pensions on the economic labour market status of individuals aged 50 and over show that a rise in employment among the group has halted in England, with the exception of the east of England, where there was a fall in the employment rate among 50- to 64-year-olds of 3.4 percentage points.

The analysis also reveals signs of a drop-off in participation as workers progress through their 50s, with about 60% who leave work not doing so by choice or retirement but because of redundancy or other negative reasons.