Employment amongst the older generation in the European Union (EU) has seen a significant level of improvement over the past decade, according to the latest figures released.

New statistics from Public Service Europe have shown that in the year 2000, there were more than half of those over the age of 55 and under the age of 59 in the EU out of work.

However, by the year 2010, 60.9 per cent of the people in this age group were in a job of some form.

The country with the lowest employment rate for older people was Poland, where 45.8 per cent of the population were in employment, while Sweden scored highest with 80.7 per cent of residents from the country having jobs.

Laszlo Andor, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, told Public Service Europe: "We will see a rapid increase in the number of those retiring just as the number of those of working age shrinks."

The EU's employment has come under scrutiny recently, with places such as Spain and Greece under fire for having high unemployment figures.

Posted by Lee Thrace