Stoke-on-Trent has one of the lowest proportions of older people still in work in the UK, a new survey has found.
Research by later-life mortgage specialists Bower Home Finance looked at employment data across local authorities with populations of more than 250,000 to see where people aged 65 and over are continuing to work.
The study shows that in Stoke-on-Trent, just 5.3 per cent of residents aged 65 and over are still employed – around 6.4 percentage points below the UK average of 11.7 per cent. That places the city third from the bottom nationally, alongside Newcastle upon Tyne, Wakefield, Sunderland, Lewisham and Plymouth.
At the other end of the scale, London boroughs dominate. Newham tops the list, with 31.5 per cent of over-65s there still working, almost 20 percentage points above the national average. Waltham Forest (26.3 per cent), Barnet (21.5 per cent), Enfield (20.7 per cent), Hillingdon (20.3 per cent), Haringey (19 per cent) and Ealing (18.6 per cent) also rank highly.
Outside London, Manchester (17.2 per cent), Shropshire (15.9 per cent) and West Northamptonshire (15.8 per cent) report higher-than-average levels of later-life employment.
It is thought that in Stoke-on-Trent and other northern and Midlands cities, lower living costs mean retirement remains within reach for more people, despite ongoing financial pressures.
Geoff Charles, CEO of Bower Home Finance, said: “The contrast between London and cities in the North is striking – it really shows how uneven the picture has become. In many London boroughs, the high cost of living means older residents simply can’t afford to stop working, even well into their late sixties and seventies.
“With nearly a third of over-65s still in employment in some parts of the capital, it’s clear that retirement is becoming harder to achieve for many. It’s sad to see that something as simple as where you live can decide whether you get to slow down and enjoy retirement or not.”
