Senior employment in France: the real challenge is decided before the age of 60

France has never had so many seniors at work, and yet it still falls short. A report from the Haut-Commissariat à la Stratégie et au Plan, published on 22 July 2026, puts the issue back on the table with a simple but unsettling idea: to keep seniors in post until retirement, we must stop taking care of them only at the end of their careers. The real employment of seniors is prepared years earlier.

A record employment rate… that collapses after age 60

The figures from the DARES (statistical service of the Ministry of Labour) set the tone. In 2024, 60.4% of 55–64-year-olds held a job, the highest level since the indicator has existed, i.e. 1975. A continuous increase driven by successive reforms and the postponement of the retirement age.

But this average hides a sharp break. Where 77.8% of 55–59-year-olds work, they are only 42.4% among 60–64-year-olds. In other words, one senior worker in two drops out of the labour market precisely when they are approaching retirement. The unemployment rate for 55–64-year-olds remains contained at 5.2%, but it rises with age.

Why France remains below the European average

Despite this record, France remains behind. The employment rate of seniors there is lower than the European Union average, at 65.2%. The gap is narrowing, but it reflects a French specificity: an early exit from the labour market, often suffered rather than chosen, between the end of a contract and eligibility for retirement benefits.

This is where the report hits hard. According to its authors, France has for too long been content to « gérer les fins de carrière » — aménagements de dernière minute, ruptures conventionnelles, dispositifs de transition — instead of building a real policy on ageing at work.

What this concretely changes for active seniors

The message addressed to the government is clear: seniors must be « treated as active workers » as full members of the workforce, and not as employees living on borrowed time. The avenues suggested act well upstream of the sixties:

• Anticipate: mid-career interviews starting in the forties, to avoid wear and identify possible career changes.
• Train: maintain access to vocational training throughout the career, while training effort falls with age.
• Preserve health: adapt workstations to reduce job strain, an issue of well-being at work as much as of employment.
• Change perceptions: fight stereotypes that hinder hiring and progression after 55.

For an employee aged 50 today, the issue is very concrete: the quality of these measures will determine their ability to choose the end of their career rather than endure it, with a direct impact on the amount of their future pension.

Misconceptions to correct

No, seniors do not “block” youth employment: economists remind us that employment of seniors and employment of young people often increase together. Nor is working after 60 an exception: it is already the daily reality for more than four out of ten 60–64-year-olds. The real question is not whether we will work longer, but under what conditions. A topic that goes far beyond the mere preparation for retirement to affect the entire organisation of work and the practical life of households.

Frequently asked questions

What is the employment rate of seniors in France in 2024?

According to DARES, 60.4% of 55–64-year-olds held a job in 2024, a record since 1975. But this rate falls to 42.4% for 60–64-year-olds.

Why is France behind Europe?

The employment rate of French seniors remains below the European Union average (65.2%), notably because of early exits from the labour market before eligibility for retirement benefits.

What does the report of the Haut-Commissariat au Plan recommend?

It advocates for a policy on ageing at work that acts early in careers (training, health, anticipation), rather than limiting itself to managing end-of-career.

Sources

• Haut-Commissariat à la Stratégie et au Plan — Employment of seniors (22 July 2026)
• Boursorama — “Treat seniors as active workers” (22/07/2026)
• Key DARES figures on the employment of seniors in 2024