This press release was covered in The Irish Times.
There has been a 40 per cent increase in the number of people in Ireland working past the age of 66 since 2020, according to employment law firm Littler.
The group, which has over 1,800 lawyers in more than 95 offices worldwide, said the number in Ireland has increased from 77,300 in 2020 to 108,300 at the end of 2025.
The figures are based on data from the Central Statistics Office relating to the final quarter of each year.
Barry Reynolds, partner at Littler Dublin, said: “Working beyond retirement age is becoming a financial necessity for many. With more older people staying in work, employers need to be ready to manage requests for longer working and increasingly age-diverse teams.”
Age discrimination cases in Ireland rose 24 per cent to 218 in 2024, which Reynolds said reflected “greater age diversity” in the workforce.
“Many of those cases relate to alleged mishandling of longer working requests,” he said. “A growing trend in age related claims perhaps also reflects how quickly everyday interactions can escalate into legal disputes.”
A new law is expected to come into force in Ireland this year that will limit the ability of employers to enforce retirement below the age of 66.
“The new Act encourages employees who are fully capable to continue working if they wish,” Reynolds said. “That’s a positive step on tackling age discrimination in workplaces.”
“Many age based legal challenges have related to requests to work longer,” he said. “We now have more guidance and clarity around that. What we may now see more of is intergenerational friction.”
“Age discrimination is often overlooked in workplace interactions, but it can carry the same legal risk as other forms of discrimination. Employers need to take steps to raise awareness and address it early.”
“Mentoring programmes and initiatives that bring different age groups together can help reduce the risk. When people spend time learning from each other, they often realise they share far more in common than the differences we tend to focus on.”
