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Mature-age workers
Last updated August 2026
This chapter explains reasonably practicable steps you can take to reduce the health and safety risks to mature-age workers in your business.
Growing mature-age workforce
Australia has an ageing population, with life expectancy and years of disability-free life increasing. This means more mature-age workers are in the workforce.
Definition: Mature-Age Worker
A mature-age worker in this chapter means any worker aged over 45 years.
A mature-age worker in this chapter means any worker aged over 45 years.
In the 20 years to April 2021, the workforce participation rate in Australia of people aged 65 years and over more than doubled (from 6.1% in 2001 to 15% in 2021), according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). As such, the average age of retirement is increasing. In 2024–2025, 156,000 people aged 45 and over retired, with the average age at retirement being 63.8 years (ABS).
As such a large cohort retires, a significant gap is left in the labour market, as there are not enough younger workers to replace them.
Important: Recruiting and retaining mature-age workers will keep them in the workforce to alleviate the labour gap. It also brings several other benefits.