Elderly workforce grows as Taiwan settles in as super-aged society

Taipei, May 16 (CNA) Taiwan's elderly workforce has continued to expand since the country entered "super-aged society" status last year, reflecting a growing desire among the elderly to work and labor shortages that need to be filled.

Trends documented by both official government statistics and an online job platform's surveys underline the rising tide of older workers in Taiwan's economy.

The number of employed people aged 65 and older surpassed 500,000 for the first time in Taiwan's history in March 2026, according to a monthly Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) report on employment for the month released in late April.

The number of employed seniors rose from 250,000 in 2015 to 460,000 in 2025, an increase of 84 percent over that period, and more than 500,000 seniors were employed in March 2026, translating to a labor participation rate of 10.8 percent, DGBAS data showed.

The employment figures are being driven in part by demographic trends.

Taiwan's population aged 65 and above reached 4.67 million last year, accounting for 20.06 percent of the total population, according to Ministry of the Interior data.

Under World Health Organization (WHO) standards, societies in which seniors account for more than 20 percent of the population are classified as "super-aged."

At the same time, employment among people aged 25-44 fell from 5.99 million in 2015 to 5.67 million in 2025, reflecting the combined impact of an aging population and declining birth rates.

According to DGBAS Census Department Deputy Director Tan Wen-ling (譚文玲), a longer healthy life expectancy and persistent labor shortages have encouraged more seniors to remain in or return to the workforce.

"Employers are also reporting labor shortages. If they can get older people to keep working, it would be helpful to businesses," she said.

A separate white paper released by online job platform 104 Job Bank in November 2025 found that applications from middle-aged and older job seekers had risen 34.4 percent in three years, reaching an average of 82,000 applications per month in 2025.

The report also found that more than 80 percent of middle-aged and older workers hoped to continue working after age 60, citing concerns over retirement savings and rising living costs.

104 Job Bank manager Chan Wan-jung (詹宛榕) said many companies still hold misconceptions about hiring older workers, including concerns over higher salary costs or fears that younger applicants may be discouraged.

Survey results showed that 93.7 percent of workers under 40 held neutral or positive views toward age-friendly workplaces, with some saying it would make them more willing to apply to such companies, Chan said.

According to projections by Taiwan's National Development Council, people aged 45-64 are expected to account for more than half of Taiwan's population by 2037, further reshaping the labor market.