Eurostat: Less than 50 pct of Romanians aged between 55 and 64 were employed last year

The employment rate in the European Union in the age group 55-64 varied last year from over 70 per cent in Sweden, Germany and Denmark to below 50 per cent in Romania, Malta, Poland , Slovenia, Croatia, Greece and Luxembourg, data released on Monday by the European Statistical Office (Eurostat) showed. 

In 2018, the employment rate for EU citizens aged 55-64 was higher, 65 per cent for men and 52 per cent for women, respectively, compared to the average rate for all adult men and women (60 per cent and 48 per cent, respectively) from the EU. 

Between 2013 and 2018, the employment rate in the age group 55-64 years increased rapidly, especially the share of working women. 

The employment rate for EU citizens aged 55 to 64 increased in the period 2013-2018 in all EU member states, except for Greece. In Slovenia and Bulgaria, the employment rate for this age group has doubled over this period. 

Although low, an increasing percentage of EU citizens between the ages of 65 and 74 are still working. In 2018, more than a quarter (26 per cent) of this age group worked in Estonia and more than 15 per cent were registered in Romania, Lithuania, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Sweden and Latvia.