2.2 million working pensioners in the EU, with Italy leading the way

Brussels – Living to work — a condition that applies to virtually everyone in the European Union. There is no Member State where men and women continue to work after reaching retirement age. Eurostat data show that mainly self-employed men and women continue to work after receiving their pension checks. In 2023, more than half of all VAT-registered workers (56.4 percent) were still working even though their age and years of contribution allowed them to retire. Practically, the EU boasted almost 2.2 million working pensioners. 

The European Statistical Institute does not explain why those who could enjoy life instead continue with the same old routine. For some, it could be a personal passion for work; for others, however, it could be the consequence of an unfavorable pension situation due to the lack of standard employment contracts — making it a necessity. What is certain is that the question of worker-pensioners arises especially in Sweden (98.4 percent), Finland (88 percent), and Ireland (87.7 percent).

In absolute terms, however, Italy ranks first for the number of people who leave the labor market without ever really leaving it. About 394,500 people give up their right to stop working and instead continue to do so after having worked all their lives. Even in the Italian case, data and points for reflection raise the questions about the functioning of a system that is probably suffering from the high number of atypical contracts and VAT-registered workers.