ONE IN EVERY five low paid workers in Ireland is aged over 50, a new report has found. 

The report has been carried out by researchers at UCD and funded by a research bursary from the Low Pay Commission.

Of the 420,000 low paid workers in Ireland, approximately 80,000 individuals or one in five are aged over 50, the report found.

Workers aged over 50 have a lower risk of low pay (16%) when compared to all workers (24%).

Low paid women aged 50 and over earn less that similarly aged low paid men – €10.00 per hour compared to €10.58 per hour in 2018, giving a low paid gender pay gap of 5.5%.

Older workers have a different sectoral profile compared to all those in low pay. They are more likely to be working in administrative and healthcare/caring roles and less likely to be in the retail, accommodation and food sectors.

In household terms, older low paid workers are more likely to live in one to two adult households, be the only worker in their household and own the property they live in. More than half own their property mortgage free. By contrast, most low paid workers live in multi-adult and multi-worker households and are twice as likely to be renters.

Based on interviews with 20 low paid older workers throughout Ireland, the report also explored the reasons why workers aged over 50 took on, or remained in, low paid jobs. 

The older workers in low pay jobs interviewed for the research all identified financial needs and concerns as an important driver for them to enter, return to, or remain in the labour market.

The inadequacy of pension income was also a factor influencing older workers to take-up or remain-in low pay.

Participants highlighted a number of other reasons, beyond financial needs, that influenced their decision to take-up or remain-in low pay. These reflect a fit with their skills, location, family context and expectations of work alongside accommodating a desire for flexibility given individual and family circumstances.

“This research underscores a need to understand the participation of older workers in the labour market beyond the perspectives of earnings and productivity. While income is important for this group, their participation and continued participation as workers is also linked to other objectives including better lifestyle balance and social interaction,” Dr Micheál Collins, the lead author of the report, said.

Fellow author, Dr Catherine Elliott O’Dare, added: “Understanding the scale of this group, their probable growth over time, and the set of influences that determine their participation in low paid employment carries important implications for future policies for older workers in general including polices around active ageing and extended working lives.”