One in ten of the over-65s are still in work

THE number of over-65s in work is rising three times faster than the rate for younger people – with more than a million older people now putting off retirement.

There was a 4.6 per cent increase in the number of over65s in employment in the last year alone.

This compares to a much more modest rise of 1.2 per cent among under-65s, official statistics show.

It means one in ten of the over-65s, or 1.1million people, are now in work, up from one in 16, or 576,000 people, a decade ago.

Experts said the country is undergoing a ‘social revolution’, with many workers choosing to retire gradually by finding part-time work.

But union bosses warned that many others were forced to work for longer than they wanted to or were fit to because of ‘creeping’ rises in the State pension age.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics revealed that the number of people in work across all ages rose by about 40,000 in the last quarter to 31million.

But the number of people classed as unemployed also rose by 10,000 in that time.

Economists said the labour market appeared to have ‘lost momentum compared to earlier this year’.

But pensioners are bucking the trend, with the numbers in work rising every month. Over the last year, the number of people in all age groups who were employed increased by 410,000, of whom an extraordinary 230,000 were over 50 and more than 50,000 were over 65.

At the annual Trades Union Congress conference in Brighton, delegates claimed that many were forced to work in old age despite ill health, or retire before they were eligible to receive their pension.

The TUC, which represents 52 unions, passed a motion yesterday voting to ‘challenge the creeping increases in retirement age’.

At present, a woman can claim her pension at the age of 62, while men receive theirs from 65, but this is gradually rising. From 2020, it will 66 for both men and women, and will rise to 67 by 2028.

Tony Draper, president of the National Association of Head Teachers, condemned the view that ‘if your heart beats for longer, you should graft for longer’.

He said: ‘A longer life is only a better life if your standard of living is as high as it can be.

‘Living longer doesn’t necessarily mean living better. Working longer certainly doesn’t mean working better. Moving our pensions further and further away is a false economy.’

He said a survey of 11,000 teachers found that two thirds felt they would not be able to continue working until 65.

Irene Guidotti, of the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists, said people working in physically demanding jobs were more likely to lose their ability to work before reaching retirement age.

She said that she suffered from arthritis, which meant she was having to retire six years before she could claim her state pension as a podiatrist.

She added: ‘The pressures on working people and the danger of losing the ability to continue working is real. It adds up to workers leaving employment before they can access their pension. They inevitably fall back on to the welfare state.’

She warned that these workers face ‘ severe poverty’ in their retirement. Alex Mackenzie, of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, said: ‘It is vital that we do everything we can to negotiate support for older workers so they can continue to work for as long as possible without damaging their health.’

‘Undergoing a social revolution’