Australians over 65 now hold 773,000 jobs

Australians are increasingly working well beyond the traditional retirement age.

New ABS Labour Account data show people aged 65 and over held around 773,000 filled jobs in June 2026.

Thirty years ago, in June 1996, they held only about 160,000.

That means the number of jobs held by Australians aged 65 and over has increased almost fivefold — around 383 per cent — in three decades.

The change is much larger than can be explained simply by growth in the overall labour market.

In 1996, workers aged 65 and over accounted for just 1.8 per cent of all filled jobs. Today their share is approximately 4.7 per cent — approaching one job in every 20.

And the trend is continuing. Since June 2016 alone, the number of jobs held by people aged 65 and over has increased by approximately 67 per cent, from around 463,000 to 773,000.

There are several possible explanations.

Australia has an ageing population, people are living longer, jobs have become less physically demanding and flexible work can make continued employment easier. Changes to retirement incomes and the Age Pension eligibility age may also influence decisions about when people stop working.

The figures alone cannot tell us whether older Australians are working because they want to or need to.

But they reveal an unmistakable structural transformation.

The traditional idea that Australian working life ends around 65 increasingly does not describe the labour market.

Thirty years ago, employment beyond 65 was comparatively unusual.

Today, Australians aged 65 and over hold more than three-quarters of a million jobs.