Report: Number of elderly workers on the rise[fr][de] 

The purpose of the bi-annual European Forum on Demography (November 24-25) is to take stock of latest demographic developments and review how policies are responding to demographic change across the EU. 

The report broadly confirms what is already widely known, namely that as the 'baby boomer' generation eases into retirement, the balance between people of working age and retirees is shifting in Europe. 

Indeed, the augurs of doom seem more pronounced than ever. While over the past decade, the number of over-60s in Europe has been growing by approximately 1.5 million per year, this figure will increase to two million per year for the next 25 years. Moreover, growth of the working-age population is slowing every year and is expected to come to a standstill within a decade. 

However, the report sounds a tentatively hopeful note: the number of over-60s working in Europe, though still short of the ambitious targets set by the Lisbon Strategy, has increased considerably since 2000. 

Figures for 2007 indicate that on the whole, 50% of men and 40% of women aged 60+ were in employment - slightly short of the Lisbon 2010 target of 50% but nevertheless a positive sign. The conclusion, according to the report, is that the 1990s trend of early retirement has been reversed, and "ageing baby-boomers" have the "potential to make a major contribution to the economy through their participation in the labour force". 

The report also noted that in terms of European family patterns, people are marrying later, divorce rates are continuing to increase and the number of marriages between different nationalities is becoming increasingly significant demographically. 

As far as life expectancy is concerned, however, a Eurobarometer poll published in tandem with the report indicates that a significant East-West divide remains in the EU. 

This divide particularly concerns men, who can expect to live only to around 65-70 years in eight of the Central and East European member states, compared to an EU-15 average of more than 76 years.