Duration of working life slightly on rise in 2023 across EU

The average expected duration of working life across the EU in 2023 was slightly longer than a year earlier, according to Eurostat data released on Thursday.

A 15-year-old is expected to have a working life of 36.9 years across the 27-member bloc last year, up from 36.5 years the previous year.

Men are expected to be active in the European labor market 4.3 years longer than women in their lifetime, with an average of 39 years in 2023.

Among member states, the Netherlands (43.7 years), Sweden (43.1 years) and Denmark (41.3 years) have the longest working life expectancy, while Romania (32.2 years), Italy (32.9 years) and Croatia (34 years) have the shortest.

The upward trend of the working life expectancy in the EU since 2013 was reversed in 2020 as the labor market was hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. The figure returned to its pre-virus level in 2021, the Eurostat added.