The last decade has seen a reversal of the trend towards
early retirement among men, with rising levels of labour
force participation among those aged $50 years (Figure
1). Since 1997, the employment rate for men aged between
50 years and the SPA has risen from 67 to 72%,
although rates for people .50 years still remain below
the rates for people aged 25–49 years (Department of
Work and Pensions, 2002)