Work: the employment rate of seniors continued to rise in 2024
The proportion of people aged 55 to 64 in employment in France continued to increase in 2024, but remains below the European Union average, according to a study by the Ministry of Labor published on Wednesday, July 23.
The employment rate for this age group, which includes people who have claimed their retirement rights while continuing to work, reached 60.4% compared to 58.4% in 2023, specifies the statistics department of the Ministry of Labor (Dares).
This rate has been increasing "almost continuously since 2000" in connection with the various pension reforms , the study notes. And it is at "its highest level since it has been measured" , that is to say since 1975.
But it remains below the European Union average of 65.2%, the study continues. France ranks 17th among the 27 countries in the Union (with countries such as Sweden at 78.1% and Germany at 75.2%) at the top of the pile.
The employment rate decreases significantly with age, Dares also notes: it is 82.8% for 25-49 year-olds, 77.8% for 55-59 year-olds and 42.4% for 60-64 year-olds (for this age group, the employment rate is "significantly below" the European average of 10.7 points).
The unemployment rate for seniors also stands at 5.2%, according to Dares. This is more than two percentage points lower than that of the working population as a whole, but unemployed seniors have a harder time finding work.
La Croıx
