Ahead of the coronation of King Charles (aged 74), Rest Less finds there are nearly 280,000 men aged 70 and older in the UK who are still working.
King Charles, who turned 74 in November 2022, is one of 279,058 men aged 70 and older who is still working – an increase from 176,868 in 2012 – or 58% in a decade, according to new analysis from Rest Less.
King Charles was the oldest monarch to take the British throne aged 73 years, 298 days in September 2022. In light of this, Rest Less, a digital community and advocate for people aged over 50, analysed a bespoke dataset from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) to find out how many men and women aged 70 and above are still working in the UK.
Table 1: Number of men aged 70+ in employment and self-employment, 2012-2022
| Year | Total number of men aged 70+ in work | Total number of men aged 70+ in self-employment | Total number of men aged 70+ in traditional employment |
| 2022 | 279,058 | 139,894 | 139,164 |
| 2012 | 176,868 | 96,750 | 80,118 |
| Difference | 102,190 | 43,144 | 59,046 |
| % Difference | 58% | 45% | 74% |
Table 2: Number of women aged 70+ in employment and self-employment, 2012-2022
| Year | Total number of women aged 70+ in work | Total number of women aged 70+ in self-employment | Total number of women aged 70+ in traditional employment |
| 2022 | 167,543 | 66,527 | 101,016 |
| 2012 | 101,058 | 36,344 | 64,714 |
| Difference | 66,485 | 30,183 | 36,302 |
| % Difference | 66% | 83% | 56% |
Table 3: Total number of over 70s in employment and self-employment, 2012-2022
| Year | Total number of people aged 70+ in work | Total number of people aged 70+ in self-employment | Total number of people aged 70+ in traditional employment |
| 2022 | 446,601 | 206,421 | 240,180 |
| 2012 | 277,926 | 133,094 | 144,832 |
| Difference | 168,675 | 73,327 | 95,348 |
| % Difference | 61% | 55% | 66% |
Stuart Lewis, Chief Executive of Rest Less, commented: “At the age of 74, King Charles is a fantastic example of someone who both enjoys, and benefits from, continuing to work post state pension age.
‘Our latest analysis shows that there are far more over 70s in the workplace today than a decade ago – 66% more women and 58% more men compared with 2012. Until Covid hit and life expectancy dropped for the first time in a decade, there were more people reaching their state pension age than ever before, which meant there were more experienced people in the workplace than ever before too. Today there are more than 11 million people aged 50 and above in the workplace – nearly one third of the entire UK workforce.
‘Like King Charles, many of these people will have no choice but to work, albeit for very different reasons to the King. We see many older workers today who are struggling to make ends meet amidst the cost of living crisis, with inadequate retirement savings meaning they must work in order to survive financially.
‘Over recent years, employers have begun to recognise the valuable contribution of older individuals in the workplace and the huge benefits of multigenerational teams, although there is still a long way to go. Work practices are starting to be adapted to be more inclusive for people of all ages, which has made it easier for workers aged 70+ to continue to contribute whilst balancing other priorities in their life.”
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About Rest Less
Rest Less (restless.co.uk) launched in early 2019 and is a digital community for people in their 50s, 60s and beyond. Rest Less is on a mission to help its members get more out of life and offers content guidance and resources on topics spanning Jobs and Careers, Volunteering, Learning, Money, Health and Lifestyle and Dating.