Jobs and the Future of Work

The countries where people are working beyond 65

A police officer walks beside a group of Indonesian workers marching to mark May Day in Jakarta, Indonesia, May 1, 2017. REUTERS/Beawiharta - RC13ABE93310

A group of Indonesian workers marching to mark May Day in Jakarta, Indonesia Image: REUTERS/Beawiharta

Laura Oliver
Writers, Forum Agenda

Indonesia has the highest rate of people working beyond the age of 65, according to figures from the OECD.

The report suggests that 50.6% of 65-69-year-olds in Indonesia work. While there are huge differences between countries globally, older workers are notably prevalent in other Asian countries. In South Korea, 45% of this age group works, while in Japan 42.8% do.

In South Korea, according to OECD figures, the average retirement age for men is 72 years and 70.2 years for men in Japan.

But in Spain, just 5.3% of 65-69-year-olds work and the figure is similarly low in France (6.3%).

Cultural and legislative attitudes have contributed to this continental gap. In some European countries, for example, workers will be penalized if they want to work after the retirement age. There have also been protests in response to even small increases in official retirement ages.

Meanwhile, in Asia, many countries have shown support for a rise in mandatory retirement ages. In Japan, where the mandatory retirement age will rise to 65 in 2025, many older people say working longer will keep them physically and mentally fit.

Have you read?
Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Stay up to date:

Future of Work

Related topics:
Jobs and the Future of WorkHealth and Healthcare Systems
Share:
The Big Picture
Explore and monitor how Future of Work is affecting economies, industries and global issues
A hand holding a looking glass by a lake
Crowdsource Innovation
Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale
World Economic Forum logo
Global Agenda

The Agenda Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

Subscribe today

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.

3 lessons from the Middle East’s reskilling revolution

Dr. Ciaran O’Cathain

November 21, 2024

How ports can lead a just transition for workers in an automated future

About us

Engage with us

  • Sign in
  • Partner with us
  • Become a member
  • Sign up for our press releases
  • Subscribe to our newsletters
  • Contact us

Quick links

Language editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Sitemap

© 2024 World Economic Forum