Quaderni IRCrES 23 – Cap.1

Capitolo 1
Le attività economiche dei lavoratori senior in Italia

The economic activities of the elderly in Italy

Antonio Sanguinetti^a

 

^aCNR-IRPPS, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche – Istituto di Ricerche sulla Popolazione e le Politiche Sociali, Via Palestro 32, 00185 Roma

corresponding author: antonio.sanguinetti@irpps.cnr.it

 

Abstract

The research question concerns changes in the employment structure of older workers over the ten-years period from 2013 to 2022. The aim was to describe the main characteristics and dimensions of the labour market for the over-55 age group. For this purpose, data from the ISTAT labour force surveys were used. The ageing process of the Italian labour force is now an established fact and affects a large part of the Italian labour market. ISTAT data show that ageing in the labour market is progressing more rapidly than in the Italian population as a whole.

The strand of studies on active ageing has focused on the extent of the increase in employment rates for the 55+ age group. Remaining longer in the labour market, however, may result from several factors. Indeed, every life trajectory can be squeezed between two poles, on the one hand, the obligation, and on the other, the desire to continue. A pair that aptly represents the inequalities inherent in the ageing process. From this point of view, the article profiles those who remain longer in the labour market. Up to the age of 70, these are mostly workers in the health, education and social services sectors, with employee-type contracts and predominantly in central Italian regions. Beyond this age, on the other hand, self-employed workers in commerce and entrepreneurship predominate, and the regions with the highest employment rates are in the North-East.

Keywords: active ageing, Italy, labour market, employment rates.

 

DOI: 10.23760/2499-6661.2025.23.01

ISBN: 978-88-98193-38-7

ISSN (online): 2499-6661

 

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How to Cite

Sanguinetti, A. (2025). Le attività economiche dei lavoratori senior in Italia. In Bramanti, D., Errichiello, L., Falavigna, G., & Nanetti, S. (cur.). Verso un invecchiamento attivo, in salute e sostenibile: riflessioni teoriche ed evidenze empiriche sul bilanciamento tra lavoro e vita privata (pp. 9-24). Quaderni IRCrES 23. CNR-IRCrES. http://dx.doi.org/10.23760/2499-6661.2025.23.01