Nearly 600,000 over-50s do not have job but want to work
The data showed more over-50s are in work (Alamy/PA) Holly Williams 2 minutes ago More than half a million people aged over 50 want to work but are unable to due largely to ill health or disability, according to official figures.
Analysis of workforce data by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) showed 585,000 people aged 50 to 64 were without a job but were willing or wanted to work in 2026, up 13,000 or 2% year-on-year.
It said nearly two thirds – 62%, or 363,870 – of those said they were not looking for work due to being sick, injured or disabled.
The report also showed 16% of those classed as economically inactive but willing to work said it was because they were “looking after home or family”.
Overall, the figures showed around 866,000 people aged 50 to 64 were either actively looking for work, or wanting to work but unable to, down from about 876,000 in 2025.
Marianna Hunt, personal finance specialist at Fidelity International, said: “This is a significant cohort of people and the consequences for individuals who fall out of the workforce in their 50s can be enormous.
“For some people, it can force them into an early retirement they can’t afford.
“Every additional year out of work means one less year of earning and saving into a pension, one less year for investments to grow, and one more year of retirement to fund.”
The data also showed significantly more over-50s women are economically inactive, at 29%, compared with 22.2% of men.
Of economically inactive over-50s, women were twice as likely as men to report “looking after home or family” as the main reason for not looking for work, at 16.5%, versus 7.4%.
Women are staying in work longer, the figures show (Alamy/PA) The data showed more over-50s are in work, with the employment rate at 72.2%, up from 66% in 2025, and near the record high seen in 2019.
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