People over 55 are falling behind in the job market. For the first time, this age group, which has historically recorded the lowest levels of unemployment, exceeds in its unemployment rate that of workers between 25 and 54 years old, according to a study by the BBVA Foundation and the Valencian Institute of Economic Research (Ivie) published this Monday.
This gap in favor of older people has been reversing since 2023. Currently, their unemployment rate is 0.4 points higher than that of younger age groups. During the first three quarters of 2025, they recorded a rate of 9.8% on average.
The relative deterioration in the employment of older people in recent decades hides large differences between those who have managed to remain active throughout their professional career and those who have had to look for work beyond the age of 55.
Harder to re-enlist and with worse conditions
The job insecurity suffered by over-55s forced into unemployment is higher and their chances of finding a job, as well as the conditions of the jobs to which they manage to access, are also worse than those of younger cohorts.
In a context of aging populations, increasing retirement spending and growing demand for human capital, the study indicates that reforms focused on improving employment and training of older workers are necessary.
In this sense, he advocates overcoming stereotypes based on age and ensuring that companies themselves invest more in the training of senior workers, since young candidates will be increasingly rare, retirements more frequent and the difficulties in filling vacant positions more intense.
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