Workers in Scotland and Wales are the most confident in Britain that they could continue in their current roles into their sixties and seventies, according to new research published ahead of the State Pension age increase in April 2026.

Analysis from the Standard Life Centre for the Future of Retirement suggests significant regional differences in how sustainable people believe their jobs are as they approach later life.

In Scotland, 83% of workers say they are confident they could do their current job at age 60, the highest proportion of any region. Wales ranks top for confidence at age 70, with 55% believing they could continue in their role into their seventies.

MIDLANDS

By contrast, confidence is weaker in parts of the Midlands. In the West Midlands, 74% say they could continue working until 60, the lowest of any region, while the East Midlands ranks bottom for working until 70, at 43%.

The findings come as the State Pension age is set to rise from April 2026, placing renewed focus on the ability of older workers to remain in employment. With almost 15 million people already not saving enough for retirement, the think tank argues that access to good quality, sustainable work will be critical to narrowing the pensions savings gap.

RISING PRE-RETIREMENT POVERTY

The Centre’s wider analysis highlights growing financial pressures among those approaching retirement. More than 250,000 additional 60 to 64-year-olds are now in relative income poverty compared with 2010, a shift it links in large part to previous increases in the State Pension age.

Beyond individual finances, the economic implications are significant. The research estimates that around £31 billion of output is lost each year across key Industrial Strategy sectors due to early labour market exit, whether through ill health, early retirement or other factors.

Patrick Thomson, head of research and policy at the Standard Life Centre for the Future of Retirement, says: “How you experience work is one of the biggest factors in your likelihood of having a happy, secure retirement in the future.

“At the moment, too many people are missing out on opportunities in their careers, or doing jobs that damage their health and wellbeing, limiting their ability to earn and save.

“A worrying number feel their work isn’t sustainable for the long run, and there are big differences depending on where in the country people live and work.

“We urgently need to address that to help people be in better work today, and to have better retirements tomorrow.”

CAPITAL TOPS OVERALL RANKING

While Scotland and Wales score highly on confidence about working into later life, London performs strongly on broader measures of job quality and retirement expectations.

Greater London ranks sixth for confidence at age 60, at 80%, and eighth for confidence at age 70, at 49%. However, it tops the Centre’s overall ranking for longer working lives, which combines job satisfaction and expectations of remaining in fulfilling employment until retirement.

In the capital, 77% report overall job satisfaction, 82% are satisfied with job flexibility and 69% with pay. Satisfaction with opportunities for progression stands at 66%, while 64% are satisfied with their workplace pension provision, joint highest with the North West.

The North West ranks second overall in the Centre’s composite league table, followed by the South West in third. At the other end of the scale, the East of England ranks eleventh.

Thomson says: “Over 50s are not a homogeneous group. Their experiences of work as they age are shaped by a huge range of factors throughout their lives, one of which is their local economy and job market.

“Policies to improve people’s access to good work must recognise this fact or risk reinforcing existing inequalities.

“We need to make sure people have opportunities at work no matter their age or where they live.

“That needs to adapt throughout life, and could involve learning new skills, help with a health condition, balancing being a carer, better flexible work, or the opportunity to shift careers entirely.”

With the pension age set to rise again, the regional disparities highlighted by the research are likely to sharpen debate about how employers, policymakers and industry can support older workers to remain economically active for longer.