Future of an Ageing Population

However, there is evidence that the length of working lives varies across the
population. For example, there are significant differences in current employment
rates by region (see Table 2.1): London and the South East have the highest
percentage of men above SPA in employment, and the North East has the
lowest 34 . Employment in later life is heavily influenced by employment in early
life, and there are differences between socio-economic and ethnic groups.
Female labour market participation rates vary by ethnic background with
Pakistani origin women, for example, having lower levels of economic activity
than Black Caribbean and White women 35 .
Employment rate (%)
Region Men Women
London 16.9 10.0
South East 16.9 8.5
South West 15.2 8.9
East 14.8 9.6
Northern Ireland 14.2 5.3
East Mids 13.9 6.9
Wales 12.9 7.9
West Midlands 12.9 5.3
Yorkshire & The Humber 12.0 6.7
Scotland 11.8 5.9
North West 10.7 6.5
North East 9.5 6.4
Table 2.1: Regional employment rates of men and women aged 65+, 2016 36 .
This variation raises concerns about the extent to which all of society will
benefit from enhanced labour market participation. There are a wide range of
external factors which make longer working more difficult or less desirable. Such
barriers are evaluated in the next two sections, which also outline approaches to
overcoming them.
P33