Retirees have become the jokers of the labour market
As living conditions become more difficult, the number of retirees in the workforce is increasing. Older citizens generally work in insecure and service-oriented sectors. Approximately 8 out of every 10 people over the age of 65 who are able to find work are employed informally.
Pensioners are seeking employment or continuing to work due to increasing pensioner poverty. According to TÜİK data, elderly individuals who cannot make ends meet with their pension payments are being used as cheap and insecure labour in the market. TÜİK's third quarter data covering the July–August–September period of 2025 reveals a striking picture. The number of individuals over the age of 65 who are not included in the labour force because they are retired fell from 2 million 729 thousand in the same period of 2021 to 2 million 278 thousand in 2025. In just four years, the number of citizens over the age of 65 who no longer work because they are retired decreased by 451 thousand.
During the same period, the number of people in this age group who were employed increased by 280,000, from 928,000 to 1,208,000. According to TÜİK's narrow definition of unemployment, 35,000 citizens over the age of 65 are officially unemployed.
80 PERCENT ARE UNREGISTERED
One of the most striking headlines is the lack of security. Of the 1,208,000 people over the age of 65 in employment, only 280,000 are registered workers. The remaining 927,000 are employed in uninsured, unregistered, insecure jobs. Approximately 8 out of every 10 workers aged 65 and over are forced to work in jobs where no contributions are paid and they have no legal protection if they are dismissed. Elderly citizens who cannot make ends meet on pensions below the poverty line generally work in more precarious and service-oriented sectors. Over the past five years, the number of people aged 65 and over working in the service sector has increased by 159,000 to reach 403,000.
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Emekli piyasanın jokeri oldu, published in BirGün newspaper on November 27, 2025.
