Low Paid Older Workers: a quantitative and qualitative profile of low pay among workers aged over 50

Research on the topic of low pay has experienced a revival in Ireland over recent years triggered by a greater policy shift towards understanding and addressing low pay, growing interest in the challenges of employment precarity, and greater research and policy engagement on the relationship between earnings and living standards. While the overall scale and composition of low paid employment is now much better understood, there has been less focus on the nature and experiences of low pay among specific cohorts of the labour force. This research report examines one heretofore underexplored group, older workers in low pay and aims to establish insights into the scale and experience of low pay among employees aged 50 years and older. It brings together themes of ageing populations, labour market earnings and living conditions to explore the following questions: • what is the scale and profile of low pay among older workers? • does low pay differ between older workers and the low paid in general, and if so, how? • does the household and financial situation of older workers differ from that of the low paid in general, and if so, how? • what are the reasons behind why older workers become and remain low paid? • how do these workers evaluate their rate of pay given the work that they do? The study takes a mixed-methods approach using both quantitative and qualitative methods to explore these questions. While either of these methodological approaches could be taken by themselves to examine this issue, there are benefits associated with combining both so that the research analysis and findings offer a more comprehensive understanding of the nature, scale, contexts and experiences of low pay among older workers in Ireland.