Reasons for workers aged over 50 years leaving employment since the start of the coronavirus pandemic

In the period 8 to 13 February 2022, based on adults aged 50 to 70 years in Great Britain (GB) who have left or lost their job since the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and not returned to work:

• The majority (77%) of adults aged 50 to 59 years said they left their previous job sooner than expected compared with 57% of adults aged 60 years and over.

• Compared with those aged 60 years and over, adults in their 50s were less likely to leave work for retirement (28%, compared with 56%), and more likely to give stress or mental health (19%, compared with 5%) or a change in lifestyle (14%, compared with 7%) as reasons for leaving work.

• Those aged 60 years and over were more likely to be funding their retirement or time out of work from a private pension (66%) than those in their 50s (29%).

• Men were more likely to use savings and investments to fund their retirement (51%) than women (33%), and women were more likely to receive financial support from a partner or family (26%) than men (10%).

• Those in their 50s were more likely to consider returning to work (58%) than those aged 60 years and over (31%).

• A job that suited their skills and experience was a more important consideration when looking for work for those aged under 60 years (54%) than those aged 60 years and over (38%).

• Those aged under 60 years were more likely to want to return to full-time work (15%), compared with those aged 60 years and over (3%).

• Of those who would consider returning to work, flexible working was the most important aspect of choosing a new job (36%), followed by working from home (18%) and something that fits around caring responsibilities (16%).

• The majority of those who would consider returning to work or are currently looking for paid work would like to return on a part-time basis (69%); 21% said they would consider returning either part-time or full-time, and 9% said they would like to return full-time.

• Among those who have not returned to work, those who left work since the coronavirus pandemic were more likely to have increased worries around finances, such as the cost of living increasing (52%), lack of income or savings (26%), and money (32%), than those who left work before the coronavirus pandemic (44%, 21% and 25%, respectively).

Recent findings, reported in Movements out of work for those aged over 50 years since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, showed an increase in the proportion of people aged 50 years and over who have become economically inactive since the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This reversed the historical falling trend in inactivity for this age group in the last 10 years.

The Over 50s Lifestyle Study was therefore designed to gather more information from adults aged 50 to 70 years who had previously told us they had left work when responding to the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey in 2021. We aimed to better understand their motivations for leaving work and whether they intend to return.  

This article will look at the results of this study with a particular focus on those that had left work since the start of the coronavirus pandemic and not returned. However, some comparisons are made with the wider group of adults that had returned to work or left work before the coronavirus pandemic.

In addition, follow-up interviews with a small group of adults were held to delve further into people's current situations. Findings from these interviews can be found in Impact of coronavirus on people aged 50 to 70 years and their employment after the pandemic.

Just over 6 in 10 (63%) adults aged 50 to 70 years said they had left work sooner than expected. Those in their 50s were more likely to say this (77%) than those aged 60 years and over (57%) (Figure 1).

Leaving work to retire was the most commonly reported reason (47%), with the vast majority saying it was their choice to leave. However, 6% said they had lost their job and subsequently retired, suggesting that their exit from the labour market was involuntary.

The next most frequent reasons given for leaving work were:

• the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic (15%)

• illness or disability (13%)

• they did not want to work anymore (11%) (Figure 2)

75% said it was their choice to leave their previous job. 5% said they had lost their job, and 10% had been furloughed and then lost their job.

While retirement was the most common reason given for leaving work by both those in their 50s (28%) and those aged 60 years and over (56%), those in their 50s were significantly more likely to give stress or mental health reasons (19%) than those aged 60 years and over (5%). One respondent reported:

They were also more likely to report having left work for a change in lifestyle (14%), compared with those aged 60 years and over (7%).

Adults in their 50s were significantly more likely to say they left because they did not feel valued in their job (13%) than those aged 60 years and over (6%) (Figure 3).

There were some differences in the reasons given for leaving their jobs by men and women. Men were more likely than women to report that they had left work because they no longer needed the money from their job (7%, compared with 3%) and women were more likely than men to report they had left their job to look after the home or for caring responsibilities (8%, compared with 3%) (Figure 4).

Intentions to retire

Just over half (53%) provided reasons besides retirement for leaving work. However, when asked to provide reasons for not returning to work, a larger proportion said it was because they had retired (62%). This could suggest that while the initial intention for some may have been to return to work, they may have later decided to retire.

Of those who did not say they left to retire but said they had not returned to work because they have (now) retired:

• 25% said they lost their job and then retired

• 25% said they left their previous job because of the coronavirus pandemic

• 18% said they were furloughed and then lost their job

• 11% said they left their previous job because of illness or disability

Around 1 in 20 (5%) of those who left or lost their job since the coronavirus pandemic to retire have since returned to work. 

Making decisions as a household

Among the 70% of adults with a partner in the household, reasons given for leaving work were also related to the economic status of their partner.

A third of adults (33%) adults aged 50 to 59 years who left work since the coronavirus pandemic said their partner was in full-time employment, with a similar proportion (34%) saying that their partner was retired. This compared with 14% of adults aged 60 years and over whose partner was in full-time employment and 59% whose partner was retired.

Nearly two-thirds (64%) of those whose partner had retired gave retirement as the reason they left work, for example:

Those with retired partners were more likely to report that they did not want to work anymore (16%), compared with those whose partners worked full-time (8%).

Those whose partners were long-term sick or disabled were more likely to give looking after the home or caring responsibilities (36%) as their reason for leaving work than those whose partners were of any other economic status.

Around two-fifths (39%) of those who left work or lost their job during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic would consider returning to paid work in the future, with those in their 50s almost twice as likely to consider this (58%) than those aged 60 years and over (31%). There were no significant differences between men and women.

Among those who would consider returning to work, over half (54%) said this would be for the social company or a job they would enjoy (Figure 5). One respondent said they would consider:

Around half (52%) said it would be for the money and 45% said it would be for a job that suited their skills and experience. A suitable job was more of a consideration for those in their 50s (54%) than those aged 60 years and over (38%).

Finding a job that suited other responsibilities or lifestyle was also more of a consideration for those in their 50s (33%) than those aged 60 years and above (19%).

When asked about the most important aspect of choosing a new job, flexible working hours was the most frequently reported option (36%), followed by a job where "I am able to work from home" (18%) and "a job that fits around my caring responsibilities" (16%) (Figure 6).

A job that offers permanent employment was more important to those in their 50s (18%) than those aged 60 to 70 years (3%).

There were no significant differences between men and women in the most important aspect when looking for a new job.

The majority of those who would consider returning to work or are currently looking for paid work would like to return on a part-time basis (69%), while 21% said either part-time or full-time, and just 9% said they would like to return full-time.

In terms of timing, over half (54%) were unsure when they might return to paid work with 15% saying they would like to return within the next six months and a further 15% within the next 12 months.

Nearly 6 in 10 (59%) adults who are still out of work after leaving or losing their job since the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic said that they are not considering returning to work in future.

The majority (79%) of these respondents said there was nothing that would encourage them to return to work.

However, of the small proportion who said they could be encouraged, 10% said they would if they were able to work from home, followed by 9% who said they would if a job offered flexible working hours (Figure 7). One respondent said they could be encouraged to return for:

Overall, those in their 50s were more likely to say they could be encouraged to return to work than those aged 60 to 70 years.

Around half (51%) of adults reported a decrease in savings since the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, compared with fewer than 1 in 5 adults who said their savings had increased (16%).

Men were more likely to use savings and investments to fund their retirement or time out of work (51%) than women (33%). Women were more likely to receive financial support from a partner or family (26%) than men (10%).

Funding their retirement with a private pension was twice as likely for those aged 60 to 70 years and over (66%) than those in their 50s (29%).

Those in their 50s were more likely to be in receipt of state benefits, such as Carer's Allowance (23%) than those aged 60 to 70 years (6%).

Those in their 50s were also more likely to say they are receiving financial support from their partner or family (27%), compared with 15% of those aged 60 years and over (Figure 8).

Less than a fifth (18%) of those aged 50 to 70 years who left or lost their job since the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have since returned to work.

Of these, most returned as employees (77%) with the remaining 23% being self- employed. While just over half of those who returned as self-employed (55%) were previously self-employed, 45% were previously working as employees (35% full-time and 10% part-time) (Figure 9).

Characteristics of those who left work during the pandemic by whether they have or have not returned to work

The characteristics of those who have returned to work differed from those who have not. They have a younger age profile, with 65% being in their 50s, compared with 32% of those who have not returned to work.

They were also more likely to have a partner in full-time employment (34%) than those who have not returned (20%) and less likely to have a partner that has retired (23%), compared with those that have not returned to work (51%).

Of those who have not returned to work, adults aged 50 to 70 years were more likely to have left their previous job voluntarily (75%) than involuntarily (25%) (Figure 10). Of those who have returned to work, no differences were found between leaving their previous job voluntarily or involuntarily.

Among those who have returned to work, the most frequent reason given for leaving their previous job was because of the coronavirus pandemic (28%), compared with 15% of those who have not returned.

Those who have returned to work were also more likely to say that they had lost their job (18%) or had been furloughed and then lost their job (20%) than those who have not returned to work (5% and 10%, respectively). 

They were also more likely to have worked in their previous job for less than a year than those who have not returned to work.

Comparing those who left work before or since the coronavirus pandemic and have returned to work

Compared with those who left work prior to the coronavirus pandemic and have since returned to work, those who left their jobs since the coronavirus pandemic were more likely to say they returned to work because:

• they needed the money (48%, compared with 23%)

• they did not want to leave paid work (28%, compared with 11%)

• they could not afford to retire (23%, compared with 10%) (Figure 11)

One respondent said:

Retirement was the most common reason for not returning to work, for both those who left work before and since the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

There are, however, some significant differences between these two groups.

Those who have left work since the coronavirus pandemic were more likely to say that they left work sooner than they were expecting (63%). They were also more likely to say that they did not leave work by choice (25%) than those who left work before the coronavirus pandemic (54% and 20%, respectively).

Those who left work since the coronavirus pandemic were also more likely to say they would consider returning to work (39%) than those who left before the coronavirus pandemic (19%). They were also more likely to say they were currently looking for work (8%, compared with 2%).

For those who have not returned to work, those who lost or left their job since the coronavirus pandemic tend to be younger on average, with 32% being in their 50s, compared with 23% of those who left their job before the coronavirus pandemic. 

Those who left or lost their job since the coronavirus pandemic also tended to be in better health; 14% gave illness or disability as a reason for not returning to work compared with 20% of those who lost their job before the coronavirus pandemic.

Those who had left work during the coronavirus pandemic were also less likely to say that they have not returned because of looking after the home or having caring responsibilities (9%) than those who had left work before the coronavirus pandemic (13%) (Figure 12).

Those that left work since the coronavirus pandemic appear to be in a different financial position when compared with those who left work prior to the pandemic. They are:

• less likely to be receiving a state pension (27%, compared with 40%)

• less likely to be in receipt of state benefits, including Carer's Allowance (12%, compared with 19%)

• more likely to have increased worries around finances, such as the cost of living increasing (52%), lack of income or savings (26%), and money (32%), compared with 44%, 21% and 25%, respectively

• more likely to be funding their time off work using money from a redundancy package (11%, compared with 4%) or from savings and investments (42%, compared with 30%)

• more likely to report reduced savings (51%, compared with 33%)

More than a quarter of those who had lost or left their job either prior to the coronavirus pandemic (28%) or since the start of the coronavirus pandemic (29%) thought they had experienced age discrimination when looking for paid work. One respondent said:

Over 1 in 5 (22%) of those in their 50s and just over a third (34%) of those aged 60 to 70 years who lost or left their job since the coronavirus pandemic reported they had experienced age discrimination when looking for paid work (Figure 13).

While those in their 50s and 60s who have lost their job since the coronavirus pandemic face different barriers than those who lost their job prior to the coronavirus pandemic, a significant minority in both groups believe they have experienced discrimination when looking for work. This may help explain why around 15% in both groups said they had looked for a paid job at some point since they left their job but are no longer looking for work.

Economically inactive people 

People not in employment who have not been seeking work within the last four weeks and/or are unable to start work within the next two weeks. 

Retired people 

A retired person is defined as anyone who describes themselves as "retired" or anyone over minimum National Insurance pension age describing themselves as "unoccupied" or "sick or injured but not intending to seek work". 

Self-employed people 

Self-employed people are those who define themselves as working for themselves, rather than receiving a wage or salary from an employer.

Over 50s Lifestyle Study

This release contains data and indicators from the Office for National Statistics' (ONS) Over 50s Lifestyle Study to understand the experiences of adults aged 50 to 70 years who were out of work at some point in 2021.

Where differences between groups are presented in this article, associated confidence intervals included in the accompanying datasets indicate their significance.

Sampling and weighting

In the period between 8 to 13 February 2022 we sampled 19,291 individuals. These were selected from those who had previously completed the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN), were aged between 50 and 70 years and had told us that they were not in a paid job during the time of the OPN interview. The responding sample contained 13,803 individuals, representing a 71.6% response rate.

Adults taking part in the survey could be split into four groups:

• those who left work since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and had not returned to work (1,870 adults); our report focuses on the experiences of this group

• those who left work since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and had returned to work (340 adults)

• those who left work before the coronavirus pandemic, and had not returned to work (10,940 adults)

• those who left work before the coronavirus pandemic, and had returned to work (610 adults)

Information on all groups of adults can be found in the Over 50s Lifestyle Study data. It should be noted that a small number of respondents reported "prefer not to say" for some of the questions stated above. Our survey does not include adults living in care homes or other establishments, so they are not included in our target group.

Weights were adjusted for non-response and attrition. The weights were then calibrated considering the population distributions of sex by age, region, tenure group, education group and employment group. Population totals for age, sex and region were based on projections for June 2021.