UK employment rate for 55-64s around 66%, report finds

The UK has an employment rate of around 66% among people aged 55-64, higher than the United States and France but lower than Japan, Sweden, New Zealand, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland, according to the report. The report also found that an additional 15% of the 50+ age group were in employment two years later as a result of participating in a Sector-based Work Academy Programme, a higher impact than for younger age groups.

The findings come from 'The role of active labour market programmes in supporting the over 50s: UK and international evidence', by Philip Taylor, Beate Baldauf and Eamonn Davern, published by the Warwick Institute for Employment Research. The research was commissioned by the Standard Life Centre for the Future of Retirement and published in December 2025.