The number of people aged over 60 who are still in work has doubled over the past 10 years, as early retirement schemes are phased out, the national statistics office CBS said on Monday.

Last year almost four out of 10 people aged over 60 were still working, the CBS said. In 2002, the figure was around 17%.

The cabinet is planning to increase the state retirement age to 67, meaning people will have to stay in work longer.

However, there are concerns that planned changes to redundancy rules will make it easier for companies to sack older workers, who in turn are finding it increasingly tricky to find a new job. Last year, the CBS said just 7% of job seekers over the age of 60 manage to find new work.