Three times more seniors in the labor market

At 78 and still well in the saddle in his racing car, trucker Robert Mercier is not about to retire. The number of people aged 65 and over who, like him, continue to work has tripled in the past 15 years to a record number, the latest reveals Portrait of seniors in Quebec.

Although he works less today than a few years ago, the idea of ​​retirement never crossed Robert Mercier’s mind. For the former police officer who became a trucker more than 20 years ago, work will have allowed him to “keep himself young”. Aboard his truck, Mr. Mercier found his own way to fight “against loneliness at home” which, he believes, plagues many seniors. And he is far from alone in making this choice.

In 2021, some 170,600 workers were aged 65 or over, a figure which rose to 57,000 in 2005, according to the portrait drawn up by the Institut de la statistique du Québec (ISQ).

This growth is obviously explained by the increase in the demographic weight of this age group, the number of seniors having doubled during this period. But we also note that a growing proportion remains active after 65 years of age.

Over the past 15 years, the employment rate has gone from 16.1% to 25.5% among men between 65 and 69 and from 9.1% to 15.7% among women in the same age group.

There is also an upward trend in the average retirement age. From 60.1 years in 2006, it climbed in 2021 to 63.7 years. The study also reveals that men tend to retire two and a half years later than women (64.8 years against 62.2 years).

Valuing the work of seniors

The president of the Quebec Hardware and Construction Materials Association (AQMAT) is delighted with the presence of a greater number of seniors in the labor market. Richard Darveau believes that people who decide to continue working beyond retirement age do so first and foremost “to feel useful”. “The financial gain is interesting, but secondary. »

Mr. Darveau also believes that the client and other employees also benefit from the experience of this older workforce, which he describes as “grey power”.

Although the figures show a clear trend, the increased presence of seniors in the labor market is not a panacea, and the shortage of labor still threatens many businesses. In Mr. Darveau’s opinion, there are not many “grey heads” in hardware stores. “They remain too few, we would like even more,” he says. And to attract them, he believes that there should be more value placed on the work of seniors – and a review of financial incentives. “We don’t yet have a tax system that encourages people to stay in work [des personnes aînées] “, he laments.

Older workers generally work in different employment sectors than younger people. While no less than 30.5% of people aged 25 to 64 work in education, health care and social assistance services and in public administration, the proportion of people aged 65 and over who do the same is 20.4%.

Active social life

The portrait of seniors painted by the ISQ also highlights that three-quarters of seniors suffered in 2017-2018 from at least one chronic disease. However, 81% of them perceived themselves to be in good, very good or excellent health in 2021.

What’s more, nearly half (44%) of seniors said they were very satisfied with their social life, far more than for the younger age groups (27.1% of 15-24 year olds).

Due to the faster increase in life expectancy for men, the proportion of women among seniors is losing ground. Whereas they represented 59% of the elderly in 2001, they accounted, 20 years later, for 54% of this age group.

Note that the data on health and well-being exclude people living in institutions, such as CHSLDs or seniors’ residences (RPA).