Nearly 500,000 workers aged 50 to 69 have left the workforce due to illness
There’s more than just retirement that’s taking older workers out of the labour picture. Poor health is also taking its toll, according to a Statistics Canada analyst.
Of the six million Canadians aged 50 to 69 in 2003, nearly 500,000 had left the workforce due to illness. Employers need to implement medical interventions and workplace policies that will help older people remain healthy so they can continue working, said Wendy Pyper, the analyst who authored the Statistics Canada report, Aging, Health and Work.
“It’s important that employers are aware of the health conditions that older people are experiencing and whether there are policies that they can implement as employers to make it easier for people to return to the labour market or to stay in the labour market,” she said.
The report is based on the 2003 Canadian Community Health Survey and is the first study to look at 50-something Canadians who work and those who have left the workplace for health reasons. It found older people still in the workforce were generally in very good or excellent physical and mental condition. However, 19 per cent of people aged 50 to 69 had left work due to ill health.
“The tacit assumption of most retirement research seems to be that deteriorating health is a direct function of aging and little can be done to prolong the careers of these individuals,” wrote Pyper. “Yet most people remain physiologically quite resilient into their senior years. Prompt medical intervention and policies favouring rehabilitation and reintegration into the workforce could help prolong careers.”
The percentage of baby boomers approaching retirement age doubled in the past 15 years, said Pyper. To ease the expected labour shortage as this population retires, employers have to find ways to keep older workers healthy and working. Some of the strategies could include assistive devices, telecommuting, job sharing and flexible hours, said Pyper.
More than half of non-working men aged 50 to 54 said they’re not working because of ill health; 35 per cent of women aged 50 to 54 said the same.
“Although this age group is not normally thought to be plagued by ill health, health concerns appear to be affecting the employability of some 50 to 54-year-olds, many of whom might take part in the labour force if their health were better or modifications were made to their job or workplace,” wrote Pyper.
Of those not working for health reasons, 70 per cent of men and 90 per cent of women suffered from three or more chronic conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, migraine, arthritis, rheumatism and back problems.
Those not working for health reasons were more likely to be smokers or overweight. Pyper recommended workplace smoking cessation and exercise programs to help some employees remain in the workforce.
Of the six million Canadians aged 50 to 69 in 2003, nearly 500,000 had left the workforce due to illness. Employers need to implement medical interventions and workplace policies that will help older people remain healthy so they can continue working, said Wendy Pyper, the analyst who authored the Statistics Canada report, Aging, Health and Work.
“It’s important that employers are aware of the health conditions that older people are experiencing and whether there are policies that they can implement as employers to make it easier for people to return to the labour market or to stay in the labour market,” she said.
The report is based on the 2003 Canadian Community Health Survey and is the first study to look at 50-something Canadians who work and those who have left the workplace for health reasons. It found older people still in the workforce were generally in very good or excellent physical and mental condition. However, 19 per cent of people aged 50 to 69 had left work due to ill health.
“The tacit assumption of most retirement research seems to be that deteriorating health is a direct function of aging and little can be done to prolong the careers of these individuals,” wrote Pyper. “Yet most people remain physiologically quite resilient into their senior years. Prompt medical intervention and policies favouring rehabilitation and reintegration into the workforce could help prolong careers.”
The percentage of baby boomers approaching retirement age doubled in the past 15 years, said Pyper. To ease the expected labour shortage as this population retires, employers have to find ways to keep older workers healthy and working. Some of the strategies could include assistive devices, telecommuting, job sharing and flexible hours, said Pyper.
More than half of non-working men aged 50 to 54 said they’re not working because of ill health; 35 per cent of women aged 50 to 54 said the same.
“Although this age group is not normally thought to be plagued by ill health, health concerns appear to be affecting the employability of some 50 to 54-year-olds, many of whom might take part in the labour force if their health were better or modifications were made to their job or workplace,” wrote Pyper.
Of those not working for health reasons, 70 per cent of men and 90 per cent of women suffered from three or more chronic conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, migraine, arthritis, rheumatism and back problems.
Those not working for health reasons were more likely to be smokers or overweight. Pyper recommended workplace smoking cessation and exercise programs to help some employees remain in the workforce.
