Extended Years of Life or Work? Labour force Participation, Access to Healthcare and Welfare of India’s Elderly.

Nearly half of the India’s elderly population (50+ years) are engaged in productive work either in formal or informal sectors. In the absence of any social security measures, most elderly are forced to work for themselves and their families. There is a severe shortage of reliable data in India, thus posing severe challenges to go in-depth in this dimension. Using the recently available nationally representative SAGE survey in India (sponsored by WHO), this paper analyses the levels and determinants of elderly labour force participation and its influence on access to healthcare. The sample covers about 10,000 households across six states of India. Contrary to the popular notion that poor elderly is a burden; the study found that they contribute significantly to the income of the household. Aged are not only working with low wages but are engaged in unhealthy and hazardous occupation which will have bearing on their health status. While in accessing private health care services in comparison to public health care multinomial estimation shows place of residence, sex, education and wealth quin-tile to be significant factors. The findings of the study argue for better employment avenues, safer working conditions and health insurance policies for senior citizens.