‘Third-age’ workers caring for adults and older people in England: findings from secondary analysis of the National Minimum Data Set for Social Care

Despite recent policies and legislation promoting

age-friendly employment in the UK, the effects of

age discrimination are still evident in the hiring,

retention and career development opportunities of

older workers, and reflect wider societal perceptions.

As well as the general challenges faced by older

people who are seeking to join and stay in work,

those who are members of certain groups face additional

cultural, socio-economic and other barriers.

This article investigates empirical data on the current

stock of older workers in the adult social care

sector in England, identified through the National

Minimum Data Set for Social Care. It follows a

previous discussion of the position of younger

workers in the care sector presented in this journal.

Using quantitative data analysis of a large workforce

sample of the records of over 80 000 workers, we

examine the changing profile of three closely related

third-age cohorts and investigate the similarities

and differences between those working in the care

sector aged 60 years or older, and two younger age

groups (50–54 and 55–59 years). The analysis shows

that workers in the age range 50–75 years constitute

nearly 40% of the whole workforce. In particular,

the contribution of the oldest third-age group, aged

60–75 years, is substantial, at around 12% of the

total. The implications of this diversity are explored.