The number of people aged 50-64 who are economically inactive in the UK has shot up to 3.6 million. It represents a rise of almost 10% since before the pandemic, providing powerful evidence of a post-Covid “silver exodus” from the workplace.
Other findings released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) last week – and seized upon by Labour as a sign of government failure at a time of near-record vacancies and labour shortages – include data showing that 375,000 over-50s were claiming unemployment benefits last month.
