Older people face post-Covid work barriers

Lifestyle changes, caring responsibilities and trouble finding paid jobs are among the hurdles preventing over-50s returning to work after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Analysis by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that many people aged 50-65 want to return to the workplace, but 14% cite problems with caring responsibilities and 19% say changes to their lifestyle make it difficult, while almost a third have already retired. Nearly one-in-five (18%) are looking for paid work.

Of those who left their previous job, 24% said they had retired; 17% had changed their lifestyle; 17% had been made redundant; and 15% had left due to stress. A further 17% stopped work as a direct consequence of the pandemic, rising to 21% of people with a physical or mental health condition.