Brits Over 50 Face 'Alarming' Jobs Crisis as More Struggle to Find Work Before Retirement

People aged 50 to state pension age are facing what the Centre for Ageing Better describes as an 'alarming and overlooked' employment crisis, with 2.9M classified as not in education, training, employment, or retirement (NETER) in 2025. The Centre for Ageing Better has urged the government to give older people the same attention as young people classified as not in education, employment, or training (NEET).

More than one in five people aged 50 to state pension age, around 21%, are classed as NETER, compared with 13% of 16 to 24-year-olds classed as NEET.

Nearly 1M Older People Are Looking for Work

The figures highlight the growing challenge facing older jobseekers. Some 918,000 people aged 50 to state pension age were interested in or actively seeking work between October and December 2025. That was 22% higher than two years earlier and the highest figure recorded for this age group since 2020.

The rise comes as the government faces mounting pressure to tackle economic inactivity across age groups. Among 16 to 24-year-olds, the number of NEETs interested in or actively seeking work rose from 504,000 in late 2023 to 660,000 in late 2025, a 31% increase.

Centre for Ageing Better Calls for More Support for Older Workers

Dr. Andrea Barry, deputy director for Work, Transitions, and Retirement at the Centre for Ageing Better, said the focus on youth unemployment should not come at the expense of older workers facing similar difficulties. According to her, 'The current scale of the NEET population certainly warrants an urgent and well-resourced response from the government, and it is vitally important for the national economy that the right remedies are put in place.'

'But that is equally true of the NETER employment crisis, which has not received nearly enough attention from this government or previous administrations. We need the challenge of getting more of this age group back into work pushed much further up the government's current list of priorities,' she said. Her comments come as a government-commissioned review warns that the number of young people classified as NEET could rise sharply.

Older Workers Face Similar Employment Barriers

Alan Milburn's 'Young People and Work' interim report found that nearly 1M 16 to 24-year-olds are NEET. Without action, the NEET rate could rise above 16% within five years, equivalent to more than 1.25M young people. The Centre for Ageing Better says older people outside work face similar hurdles, including age-based assumptions about their abilities and uncertainty caused by the rise of AI.

Dr. Barry said, 'NEETs and NETERs share a lot in common, and for those reasons both groups need tailored and targeted support.' She described both as 'an underused pool of talent' whose capabilities are 'questioned or underestimated based on unfounded assumptions about their age,' while warning that both groups could face greater uncertainty in the workplace from the rise of AI.

Government Outlines Support for Older Jobseekers

The Department for Work and Pensions said its Get Britain Working reforms will increase employment across all age groups. A DWP spokeswoman said, 'Our Get Britain Working reforms will boost employment for people of all ages by overhauling job centres and providing personalised work and skills support.'

'We provide dedicated support to older workers via midlife reviews to encourage people to evaluate their skills and help break down barriers to employment, while our women's employment ambassador is collaborating with employers to enhance workplace support for women experiencing menopause symptoms,' the spokeswoman added.

The Centre for Ageing Better has previously highlighted an 'age penalty' in employment, with the gap between employment rates for 35 to 49-year-olds and 50 to 65-year-olds varying significantly across England. The Centre has called for greater focus on removing barriers to employment for people in their fifties and sixties, including more targeted employment support.