In today’s fast-paced era, individuals in the UK who are over 50 years old are increasingly embracing part-time employment as an alternative to conventional retirement or full-time work.
According to the 2021 Office for National Statistics, an unprecedented 3.6 million individuals aged 50 and above are engaged in part-time employment. In total, nearly a quarter of the population aged 50 and over opt for part-time work, constituting approximately 42 percent of those who choose not to commit to a full 40-hour workweek, as reported by The Sunday Times.
Moreover, the most recent 2021 census revealed that 3.4 percent of individuals over 50 working part-time jobs are involved in various aspects of road transport, ranking it as the sixth-most popular occupation within this age group.
Despite an uptick in the employment rate among 50 to 64-year-olds, it has not yet fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels. Over the past year, the rate has increased by 0.6 percentage points to reach 71.3 percent, which remains slightly below the 2019 record high of 72.5 percent.
A study conducted by the Resolution Foundation think tank identifies several significant factors associated with this sustained increase in employment. The think tank posits that the overall robustness of the economy prior to the financial crisis, the ascendance of the service sector, and stricter regulations pertaining to health-related retirement within public pension programs have all played pivotal roles in encouraging people to work longer. Many individuals who are continuing to work cite the importance of maintaining a work-life balance as their primary motivation.
Furthermore, favorable working hours have prompted a surge in older individuals considering careers in truck driving. A recruitment agency named Manpower has reported that the percentage of applicants aged between 50 and 59 for its HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) driving bootcamp has increased from 15 percent to 19 percent between 2022 and 2023.
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