The number of older people working part-time has reached a record high, new research suggests.
A study of official data showed there were 3.6 million over 50-year-olds in part-time jobs.
Rest Less, which offers advice to older people, said the number of over-50s working part-time had increased by 12% in the past two years, by 26% in the past decade and by 56% in the past two decades.
Most midlifers today talk about ‘transitions’ rather than ‘stopping’, with many choosing more of a glide into retirement, than jumping off a cliff into the void— Stuart Lewis, Rest Less
Rest Less’s analysis also found that the number of people aged 66 and older working part-time had risen from 661,000 in 2021 to 781,000 in 2023.
More men aged 66 and older were now working part-time than women – 426,000 compared with 355,000 women, the report said.
Stuart Lewis, chief executive of Rest Less, said: “The number of part-time workers aged over 50 has reached record levels once again in 2023, after recovering from its substantial setback during the pandemic.
“This trend highlights a paradigm shift in how we view work and retirement. Long gone are the days of the linear career path of one or two full-time roles, nine-to-five for five decades followed by a sudden stop at retirement.
Part-time jobs make the workplace more accessible to people with a caring responsibility or with certain health conditions and makes work more appealing to people who are looking for more variety in their life in the latter part of their career— Dr Emily Andrews, Centre for Ageing Better
“Most midlifers today talk about ‘transitions’ rather than ‘stopping’, with many choosing more of a glide into retirement, than jumping off a cliff into the void – and research continues to show this phasing is beneficial for our health, social connections and overall well-being.”
Dr Emily Andrews, deputy director for work at the Centre for Ageing Better, said: “Making part-time working more available is a great step for employers who want to realise the benefits of recruiting people in their 50s and 60s.
“Part-time jobs make the workplace more accessible to people with a caring responsibility or with certain health conditions and makes work more appealing to people who are looking for more variety in their life in the latter part of their career.”
