Australia: Older Workers Healthier than Non-working Peers

According to an analysis of the 2004–05 National Health Survey by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, older workers had lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and arthritis than their non working peers. "Health of Mature Age Workers in Australia: A Snapshot, 2004-05" shows that 8 in 10 workers between 45-74 years had a chronic health condition such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes or obesity, compared with 9 in 10 of the non-working population.

Other findings included that mature age workers in capital cities (77%) were less likely to have a chronic condition than those outside of the capitals (83%), and that even with a major health condition, 56% of mature age workers assessed their health as very good or excellent, compared with 31% of those who were not working.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Media Release (July 29, 2008)