👴🏼 Young and Old Workers

Welcome to Latinometrics. We bring you Latin American insights and trends through concise, thought-provoking data visualizations.

When did you get your first job? Eighteen? Fifteen? Ten? Have you ever even worked?

As it turns out, the answer you provide may well depend on your country of origin—after all, Bolivian teenagers appear to join the workforce in higher proportions than anywhere else in the region. Once they do, they’ll stay working well past their counterparts in the rest of the region: over half of Bolivians above 65 years old are still working.

And this is from a country which has been regularly cited to have serious issues in child (and forced) labor in sectors ranging from mining to agriculture to even picking chestnuts.

Contrast this with our regional show-off, nearby Uruguay, in which nine in ten citizens in their prime working years (25-54) are in the labor force, yet this ratio reverses when dealing with the elders. Consider this a reflection of the powers of quality education, decent wages, and an enviable pension system which keeps retirees off their feet (for the most part).

Have you ever wondered what share of seniors in your country can safely stop working and retire?

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