Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the principal reasons for which the average age of labour market exit has changed in the period since (a) 2019 and (b) the earliest year for which data is readily available.

The average age of exit from the labour market was published within the ‘Economic labour market status of individuals aged 50 and over, trends over time’ Official Statistics, published on 8^th September 2022, with latest data relating to 2022.

The changes in the average age of exit between 2019 and 2021 – which saw the average age of exit fall from 65.3 years to 65.1 years for men and from 64.3 years to 64.0 years for women, reflect challenges in the labour market amongst older workers during the pandemic period, which saw the employment rate falling for the 50–64 year-olds age group and the inactivity rate increasing.

Between 2021 and 2022, the average age of exit has increased for both men (from 65.1 years to 65.4 years) and women (from 64.0 years to 64.3 years).

There has been a steady upward trend in the average age of exit, over the past 20 years (from 63.2 years in 1999 to 65.3 years in 2019 for men, and from 60.8 years in 1999 to 64.3 years in 2019 for women). This trend reflected increasing employment rates for both men and women over this period and, during which time, the State Pension age increased.