Future of an Ageing Population

50
Percentage of people (%)
40
30
20
10
0
Full-time
employment
Part-time
employment
Unemployed Retired Other
economically
inactive
Employment status
Caring status: Carers All people
Survey of 35,161 people aged 16+
Figure 2.5: Employment status for adult carers and all adults in the UK, 2013/14 44 .
Caring responsibilities are another major factor in people’s ability to work.
Evidence shows that carers often withdraw from paid work and do not return 45 .
They are less likely to work full-time and more likely to be economically inactive
(see Figure 2.5). If this continues, the growing demand for care created by the
ageing population (see Chapter 5) could have major implications for the size
of the UK workforce 35 . Flexible working is likely to help address this. Carers are
more likely to work part-time or be self-employed, suggesting that being able
to balance work and care successfully is important to increasing older adult
labour market participation. Adaptations in HR policies and working practices
can support older people working for longer or returning to work after taking
time out for unpaid care 45 . The provision of part-time or flexible hours can also
be important for those managing a long-term health problem, and a period of
part-time work before retirement is often preferable to the traditional fixed
retirement date 25 . Women over 60 and men over 65 are already more likely to
work part-time than full-time (see Figure 2.6). Such adaptations are consistent
with broader trends in the workplace. Generally organisational structures in
business are evolving and becoming more flexible and more networked 46 .
Home-working is also rising – 4.2 million people do not work in a fixed place,
40% of whom are over 65 47 . Self-employment may also offer a more flexible
form of working, which may prolong participation for older age groups – the
data in Figure 2.1 show that self-employment levels are considerably more
resilient between ages 50 and 65, albeit from a lower base.
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