The employment price of older employees in Israel is without doubt one of the highest in developed international locations. In accordance with information from the Shoresh Institute, about 28% of males and about 15% of girls over the age of 65 proceed to work – charges which are considerably larger than the typical in OECD international locations (about 21% and 11%, respectively). This development is pushed, amongst different issues, by the excessive life expectancy in Israel, the excessive value of dwelling, and a shortfall in pension provisions.
New information from Hilan Worth, which presents a segmentation of tens of hundreds of staff in giant firms within the financial system, makes it attainable for the primary time to map the traits of staff who stay available in the market even after retirement age. A big variety of them work in safety, training, and transportation and the overwhelming majority are males.
Working even after 70, however not searching for adventures
Whereas most Israelis who proceed to work after the official retirement age (67 for males and 62 for girls) depart their jobs shortly thereafter, the presence of males at notably outdated ages, 70+, is much more putting.
Of males who work previous the retirement age, over 58% proceed to work even after the age of 70. For girls, the speed is way decrease – solely 29%. That is even if ladies’s life expectancy is barely larger on common than that of males. After retirement age, adults are required to depart the world of the profession by which they’ve spent most of their lives (definitely most of their grownup lives) and return to the home sphere. It might be that males, particularly of the “older technology”, have a more durable time doing this.
The overwhelming majority of older staff are additionally veterans at their office. In actual fact, a minimum of 70% exceed the retirement age of their jobs with 10 years or extra of expertise, and solely 13% with 5 years or much less of expertise. This primarily signifies that staff who attain retirement age typically really feel comfy of their job and are fascinated by persevering with to contribute their expertise within the situations and atmosphere which are acquainted to them, and never essentially in search of new occupational “adventures” that will require adjustments and readjustment. Working in a particular place, apparently particularly for males, turns into a vital a part of self-definition and accordingly, the will to stay there even in outdated age.
The place do folks work after 65?
Hilan’s information additionally reveals a very giant hole between totally different sectors of the financial system. Many safety guards in procuring malls, retail chains and faculties, are over 65 and that is mirrored within the information: Amongst employees aged 35 and over, 31% of employees within the safety, nursing and human assets sectors are aged 65 and over. That is the sector with the best proportion of older employees.
Then, with a big hole, come training and academia with 16% of older employees. In these sectors, what determines wages is commonly seniority, which provides older employees a very excessive incentive to proceed working even in outdated age, even when efficiency justifies it – and even when it doesn’t.
In final place is the tech sector, with solely 4% of staff aged 65 and over. The tech sector is taken into account younger however has additionally undergone a big means of maturation in recent times. If up to now there was a typical stereotype that there was nothing to search for in high-tech after the age of 40, in the present day there are numerous such staff. But, the small variety of older employees is putting.
“The notion that older employees are a burden has been refuted”
“The information reveals that the controversy about retirement age is not related,” Prof. Assaf Avrahami, CEO of Hilan Worth, tells “Globes.” “The true query is whether or not organizations know methods to make the most of some of the priceless assets they’ve – skilled staff. The truth that about 70% of older employees proceed to work in a corporation the place they’ve gained over a decade of expertise reveals that they don’t seem to be solely a workforce, but additionally the bearers of organizational information.”
Avrahami provides, “The analysis additionally refutes a widespread notion that older employees are a ‘burden.’ In apply, employers virtually by no means fireplace them, and usually, termination of employment happens as a part of pure retirement. It is a signal that organizations acknowledge the worth of the expertise, stability, and accountability they convey with them. In a world the place it’s tougher to rent high quality staff, expertise turns into a enterprise asset.”
And the way will the AI revolution have an effect on the development? Avrahami says, “Those that know methods to combine older employees alongside AI-based instruments is not going to solely lengthen their working lives, however may also enhance the productiveness of the complete group. If up to now expertise was primarily reminiscence, within the age of AI it turns into a compass. The extra duties expertise can carry out, the extra worth those that know methods to ask the correct questions, interpret the information, and make choices solely enhance. On this sense, AI may very well lengthen the careers of skilled employees, not shorten them.”
Printed by Globes, Israel enterprise information – en.globes.co.il – on August 18, 2026.
© Copyright of Globes Writer Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2026.
