Campaigners have warned of an “alarming and overlooked” crisis of people unable to find work in their 50s and 60s. The Centre for Ageing Better said more people between 50 and state pension age are not in education, employment or training (NEET) compared to younger people.
More than one in five not in work or training
More than one in five people (21%) aged between 50 and state pension age are currently not in NEET, the non-profit said. This compares to the current proportion of the 16 to 24-year-old population that is classed as NEET standing at 13%.
The group warned the “NETER employment crisis” – which stands for not in education, training, employment or retirement – is “alarming and overlooked”.
Call for urgent government action
Dr Andrea Barry, deputy director for Work, Transitions and Retirement at the Centre for Ageing Better, said: “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.
“NEETs and NETERs share a lot in common, and for those reasons both groups need tailored and targeted support. They are both an underused pool of talent whose employment rates wallow at levels well below other age groups. They are both groups whose capabilities are questioned or underestimated based on unfounded assumptions about their age. And they are two groups who potentially face the most amount of uncertainty and threat in the workplace from the rise of AI.”
Rising numbers seeking work
The government has been compelled to act on youth unemployment with the numbers of NEETs interested or actively seeking work growing from 504,000 at the end of 2023 to 660,000 at the end of 2025 - an increase of 31%.
Meanwhile 918,000 people aged between 50 and state pension age were interested in or actively seeking work between October and December 2025 – a 22% increase from the same period two years earlier and the largest figure for this group since 2020.
A spokeswoman for the Department for Work and Pensions said: "Our get Britain working reforms will boost employment for people of all ages by overhauling Jobcentres 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."
