Older Workers With Health Conditions ‘Sidelined’ Because of Ageism: Research

A man walks past a job centre in Manchester, England, on July 8, 2020. Phil Noble/Reuters

Older people with long-term health conditions are more likely to be out of work compared to their younger peers, new research suggests.

A review by the campaign group Centre for Ageing Better has highlighted a substantial health-related employment gap that worsens with age.

According to the findings, people over 50 with health conditions are significantly less likely to remain employed, leading to financial instability and a decline in employment rates among older workers. Millions of older employees are facing these challenges as they approach the final phase of their careers.

The Centre for Ageing Better attributed the issue to persistent ageist attitudes and inadequate employment support for this age group. As a result, older people are pushed to end their working lives before they are ready to retire, the review said.

It found that fewer than three in five (57 percent) people aged 50-65 with a long-standing health condition are in work, compared to nearly three in four (73 percent) among those aged 35-49.

People over 50 with long-term health conditions are 60 percent more likely to be out of work, campaigners said.

When compared to other countries, including Germany, France and Italy, the UK fares poorly, with a 50 percent higher rate of economic inactivity due to illness among people aged 50-64 who want to work.

The deputy director for work at the Centre for Ageing Better, Emily Andrews, said that workers over 50 no longer drive the UK’s employment growth.

“It is clear that it is not 50+ workers’ health that is holding this age group back from fulfilling their full potential, it is the failure of employment support and a significant proportion of employers in not giving them the opportunities to contribute fully to organisations and the economy,” she said.

The older workers’ contribution to the economy could grow if the stigma around the age group is “swept away,” said the group’s chief executive Carole Easton.

Impact on Economy

According to the UK’s economic watchdog, the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR), the ageing population is among factors that could lead to the UK national debt tripling over the next 50 years.

Research shows that in response to the challenge of an ageing population, governments seek to encourage older people into the workforce.

Downing Street has committed to tackling unemployment and economic inactivity in its growth mission to achieve an 80 percent employment rate. Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall MP, said that a near record 2.8 million people in the UK are out of work due to long-term sickness.

Data by the Department for Work and Pensions recorded a 27.4 percent economic inactivity rate for people aged 50 and 64 years this year. It represents a 0.2 percent increase compares to 2023. A new advisory board has urged the government to tackle the root causes of economic inactivity, such as poor physical and mental health.

According to the Centre for Ageing Better, the government’s health and work initiatives need to work for people in their fifties and sixties.

“This will complement the drive to increase youth participation in the labour market, and together create a strong multigenerational workforce.

“To achieve this, we need an age-positive tone from this government in its communications and actions. Setting high standards for its interventions to deliver for the over 50s age group will send a clear signal that older workers with long-term health conditions can and should be supported to access employment,” said Andrews.

The Centre for Ageing Better has also warned that with the state pension age set to rise to 67 by the end of this parliament, labour market conditions for people in their sixties have to be improved.

The government has vowed to deliver the change by creating more jobs, reforming job centres and transforming skills.

“This Government’s mission is to deliver opportunities for all—including for older workers and those with health conditions in every part of the country,” a government spokesperson said.

PA Media contributed to this report.