ONS finds that older people who work from home are more likely to stay in the workforce.
Working from home can keep older people in the workforce for longer, experts have said According to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), Two in five over-50s started working from home during the pandemic found it a “positive outcome” and was likely to lead to an extended period in the workforce
Figures from the survey found that two-thirds of older workers who never worked from home before the pandemic had shifted to working from home at least part time.
Between January and February 2020, two-thirds (66.8 per cent) of workers aged 50 years and over said that they never worked from home. However, of these workers, two in five (41.5 per cent) changed to working from home ‘sometimes, often or always’ at some point between April 2020 and March 2021.
The data also found that, in June and July 2020, those who were working entirely from home were more likely to say they were planning to retire later (11 per cent) compared with those not working from home (5 per cent).
In addition, the ONS cited data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing COVID-19 study, which found working from home would allow those older workers with a disability or illness to stay in the labour force longer.
As a result, working from home was noted to be a positive sign as the ONS suggested that one of the main reasons for this group dropping out of the labour market was poor health.
The recent survey seems to back up previous surveys/polls: A Saga poll in 2018, on behalf of the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), found that, when asked what workplaces should do to become more welcoming to older workers, more than three-quarters (78 per cent) of those aged 50 and over said that workplaces should introduce flexible working including working from home arrangements.