Ageing and the barriers to labour force participation in Australia

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) projects that, by 2050, the number of Australians aged 50 and over will have increased by over 80 per cent. In comparison, the number of persons aged 18 to 49 is projected to grow by just over 35 per cent by 2050. This important demographic change implies a greater role for mature age Australians both economically and in society more generally. In particular, individuals, firms and all levels of government can benefit from the economic contribution of older persons through paid employment. The Government has tasked the Consultative Forum on Mature Age Participation (the Forum) to provide advice on practical solutions to address the barriers to labour force participation of older Australians. In this context, the Advisory Panel on the Economic Potential of Senior Australians has been tasked with preparing a series of reports detailing the economic behaviour of older persons. This report considers one form of the economic contribution of older Australians, that of paid work in the formal labour market. The outline of the report is as follows: a brief background of the challenges of mature age employment participation in the context of population ageing in Australia; a listing of fourteen barriers to mature age employment, with the ranking of these barriers by their importance according to the Forum; and for each of these barriers, a description of the past literature, evidence of the operation of the barrier and current Government responses. The Forum will present its final recommendations to Government following further consideration of the barriers and in response to the outcomes of the Forum’s research agenda, which includes a national survey on the barriers to employment for mature age people.

Excerpts from publication.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) projects that, by 2050, the number of Australians aged 50 and over will have increased by over 80 per cent. In comparison, the number of persons aged 18 to 49 is projected to grow by just over 35 per cent by 2050. This important demographic change implies a greater role for mature age Australians both economically and in society more generally. In particular, individuals, firms and all levels of government can benefit from the economic contribution of older persons through paid employment. The Government has tasked the Consultative Forum on ...  [+] Show more