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Seniors employment in Canada and the U.S.

Estimates from the Labour Force Survey show a rising trend in the employment of people aged 65 years and older during the last decade.  In 2007, over 353,000 Canadian seniors were working, 64% of whom were 65 to 69 years old, and the rest (36%), 70 or older.

A similar trend in seniors employment is revealed by U.S. data from the Current Population Survey. However, the proportion of American seniors who worked between 1997 and 2007 was double that of their Canadian counterparts.

Many factors account for the overall trend in seniors employment, including the aging of the population, workforce shortages, as well as flexible work arrangements and other work-related incentives.


Employment among seniors in Canada and the U.S.

Chart: Employment among seniors in Canada and the U.S.

Table: Employment among seniors in Canada and the U.S.. Opens a new browser window.

Employment among seniors in Canada and the U.S.


Related to this topic
For Canada, see:
"More seniors at work,"Perspectives on Labour and Income, Statistics Canada, February 2004.
"Post-retirement employment,"Perspectives on Labour and Income, Statistics Canada, September 2005.

For the U.S., see:


"Older workers: increasing their labor force participation and hours of work,"Monthly Labor Review, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, January 2008.


"Trends in labor force participation in the United States," Monthly Labor Review, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, October 2006.



See also:


Live longer, work longer, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 2006.


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