OLDER AUSTRALIANS WHO CONTINUED WORKING


KEY INSIGHTS

• 45% of older Australians(1) who were employed in 2006 were still working in 2011. 19% were still working in 2016.(2)
• 72% of older people who continued working were male.
• 67% of older people who continued working reduced their working hours between 2006 and 2016.
• 27% worked in Agriculture in 2016.

INTRODUCTION

The Australian population is ageing, with older people (aged 65 years and over) accounting for 16% of the Australian population in 2019, up from 12% in 1999.(3) This changing population profile has a broad range of socio-economic implications, including whether people are financially prepared for living longer past the traditional retirement age of 65 years.(4)

This article draws on the Australian Census Longitudinal Dataset (ACLD) to analyse pathways for people who worked past the age of 65. The ACLD uses data from the Census of Population and Housing to create a rich longitudinal picture of Australian society. This article uses data from the three-wave ACLD, which links a 5% sample of data from the 2006, 2011 and 2016 Censuses.(5)


CHARACTERISTICS OF EMPLOYED PEOPLE

Between 2006 and 2016, the age profile of the workforce has also been changing. In 2016, around 12% of older people were working, compared with 7.6% of older people in 2006.(6)

For the same period, the proportion of employed people who were aged 65 years and over nearly doubled. Older people made up 3.8% of all employed people in 2016, up from 2.0% in 2006.

EMPLOYMENT TO POPULATION RATIO, Age groups, 2006 – 2016(6)

Source: Labour Force, Australia, Detailed – Electronic Delivery, Dec 2019 (cat. no. 6291.0.55.001).


WHO IS WORKING LONGER

Longitudinal data provides some insight into the characteristics of older people who continued working. The ACLD estimates that 175,700 older people were working in 2006. Of these:

• 45% (79,100) continued working in 2011.
• 19% (33,500) continued working in 2011 and 2016.(2) This includes 2,400 people who were aged 85 years or over in 2016.

Nearly three quarters (72%) of older people who continued working were male.

LIVING ARRANGEMENTS

Nearly three quarters of older people who continued working (72%) were living with a spouse or partner in 2016. In most cases (59%), their spouse or partner was also employed in 2016.

19% of older people who continued working were living alone in 2016.

WORKING HOURS

Around two thirds (67%) of older people who continued working reduced their working hours. The median hours worked decreased from 40 hours per week in 2006 to 24 hours per week in 2016.(7)

OLDER PEOPLE WHO CONTINUED WORKING, Longitudinal hours worked by Sex, 2006 to 2016(1)(2)

Source: Microdata: Australian Census Longitudinal Dataset (cat. no. 2080.0)


AREA OF RESIDENCE AND INDUSTRY OF EMPLOYMENT

Older people who continued working were more likely to live in regional areas, compared with other people their age. Around 44% lived in regional Australia in 2016, compared with 30% of other people the same age.(8)

This may be related to the type of work older Australians were involved in. More than a quarter (27%) worked in the Agricultural industry, which is considerably more than the proportion of people aged under 65 years working in that industry over the same period (2.6%).(9)


PEOPLE WHO CONTINUED WORKING, Selected industries of employment in 2016 by Age(1)(2)

Source: Microdata: Australian Census Longitudinal Dataset (cat. no. 2080.0)


Most older people who continued working lived in the eastern states in 2016, with more than a third (35%) living in NSW, more than a quarter (28%) in Victoria, and almost a fifth (19%) in Queensland.

They were more likely to stay living in their local area, compared with other people the same age. Around four in five older people continuing to work (83%) lived in the same local area between 2006 and 2016, compared with 71% of other people the same age.(10)


MORE INFORMATION

The Australian Census Longitudinal Dataset (ACLD) offers unique insight by providing a longitudinal view of Australia by bringing together a 5% sample from the 2006, 2011 and 2016 Censuses.

Further information can be found using the ACLD TableBuilder or DataLab products. For more information about microdata subscription and access refer to the Microdata Entry Page.

Other ABS releases related to this topic:

Twenty Years of Population Change (Feature Article), Australian Demographic Statistics, June 2019 (cat. no. 3101.0).
Australian Farming and Farmers (Feature Article), Australian Social Trends, Dec 2010 (cat. no. 4102.0).
Retirement and Retirement Intentions, Australia, July 2016 to June 2017 (cat. no. 6238.0).
Life Tables, States, Territories and Australia, 2016-2018 (cat. no. 3302.0.55.001).


FOOTNOTES

1) The term older people refers to people aged 65 years and over (in contrast to working age people, who were aged 15-64 years of age). In this article, the term refers to people who were aged 65 and over on Census night 2006.

2) Labour force data presented in this article reflects a person’s labour force status as of Census night. Note that a range of changes in a person’s labour force status may have occurred between Censuses. Further, due to differences in collection methodologies, this data is not directly comparable with Labour Force, Australia (cat. no. 6202.0). For more information, see Labour Statistics: Concepts, Sources and Methods, Feb 2018 (cat. no. 6102.0.55.001).

3) The changing population profile can be attributed to sustained low fertility and increased life expectancy. In 2016-18, 65 year-olds were expected to live for another 19.9 years (for males) and 22.6 years (for females), up from 17.6 years (for males) and 21 years (for females) in 2002-03.For more information see Twenty Years of Population Change (Feature Article), Australian Demographic Statistics, June 2019 (cat. no. 3101.0); Life Tables, States, Territories and Australia, 2016-2018 (cat. no. 3302.0.55.001); Life Tables, Australia, 2003 (cat. no. 3302.0.55.001).

4) There is no legislated retirement age in Australia. Most people tend to retire between reaching the superannuation preservation age (55 years) and becoming eligible for the old age pension (which has ranged from 60-66 years recently). Currently, the median retirement age is 55.3 years. For more information, see Retirement and Retirement Intentions, Australia, July 2016 to June 2017 (cat. no. 6238.0).

5) The three-wave ACLD (2006-2011-2016) consists of a representative 5% sample of records from the 2006 Census, linked to corresponding records in the 2011 and 2016 Censuses. Data was then weighted to represent the population that was in scope of the Census for the period 2006 to 2016. For more information, see Information Paper: Australian Census Longitudinal Dataset, Methodology and Quality Assessment, 2006 – 2016 (cat. no. 2080.5).

6) See August 2006 and August 2016 in Labour Force, Australia, Detailed – Electronic Delivery, Aug 2016 (cat no. 6291.0.55.001). Note that Labour Force data is not directly comparable with the ACLD, due to differences in collection methodology and coverage. For more information, see and Labour Statistics: Concepts, Sources and Methods, Feb 2018 (cat. no. 6102.0.55.001) and Information Paper: Australian Census Longitudinal Dataset, Methodology and Quality Assessment, 2006 – 2016 (cat. no. 2080.5).

7) Indicates the number of hours worked by the employed person in all jobs during the week prior to Census night. Excludes persons who did not state hours worked per week.

8) Regional Australia comprises Inner Regional Australia and Outer Regional Australia as defined in the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS): Volume 5 – Remoteness Structure, July 2016 (cat. no. 1270.0.55.005).

9) For more information, see Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 2006 (Revision 2.0) (cat. no. 1292.0).

10) People who remained in the same local area lived in the same Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2) on Census night 2006, 2011 and 2016. Note that their usual residence may have changed between Censuses. SA2s are designed to reflect functional areas that reflect a community that acts together socially and economically. They generally have a population range of 3,000 – 25,000 persons. For more information, see Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS): Volume 1 – Main Structure and Greater Capital City Statistical Areas, July 2016 (cat. no. 1270.0.55.001).