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In the Labour Force
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As well as contributing to the labour force, the retention of mature age workers can benefit employers through the skills, experience and maturity that such workers offer. There are also many reasons why mature age workers might choose to defer their retirement, and, with healthier ageing and a change in perception by employers, more workers are able to make this choice. Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Labour force participation statistics from 2003 illustrated that 32% of people in the labour force were aged 45-64, up from 24% in 1983. 3.2 million people in Australia are mature aged workers.
Of the industries that are employing mature aged workers, the Education Industry proved to be employing the highest proportion of mature aged workers with 47% aged between 45-64. Close behind education is agriculture, health and community services, electricity, gas and water supply and transport and storage.
While statistics representing the general labour force in Australia are a common point of interest, it is also relevant to pinpoint farming families. Farmers often work well beyond the traditional retirement age with 15% of farmers in farming families being aged over 65 years in 2001. One third of farmers in farming families are women. 59% of farmers in farming families work 49 hours or more per week.
