The rate of employment among older workers in the European Union (EU) climbed during 2009, new data reveal.

According to figures published by Eurostat, the proportion of people aged between 55 and 64 climbed to 46 per cent last year, compared with 45.6 per cent the previous 12 months.

The number of individuals in this age bracket in employment has jumped from 36.9 per cent within the EU member states in 2000.

However, the overall rate across the 27 nations for 15-64-year-olds dipped during 2009 to 64.6 per cent, with the proportion of women in work falling over the year for the first time, dropping to 58.6 per cent.

There were 217.8 million EU residents of working age in employment during 2009, with the highest numbers in jobs found in the Netherlands (77 per cent), Denmark (75.7 per cent) and Sweden (72.2 per cent).

According to the annual Labour Force Survey, the ratio of men to women in employment was almost equal in the region's Baltic states, with Lithuania and Latvia the only countries to register a higher female workforce participation rate.