ONS employment figures: tailored support needed for the over 50’s

“The latest ONS statistics give an early indication that the cost-of-living crisis may be causing some older people to return to work after previously leaving employment for retirement. “While this could help address the high level of vacancies in the UK economy, the number of people who remain out of work due to health conditions should be a serious concern for businesses and policy makers: compared to before the pandemic, there are over 300,000 more people who are neither in work nor looking for work because of long-term sickness.“Our recent research with over 50s who had left work for health reasons found that many of them would be interested in returning to work, if they were provided with the right support and an opportunity to access flexible working arrangements. We are calling on the government to introduce the first ever Ageing Workforce Strategy: offering tailored support to address the challenges the over 50s are facing, such as employment support integrated with help to overcome barriers such as health, would benefit individuals, businesses and the public finances.”