Employment Determinants Among Older Adults in Thailand: Implications for Active Aging and Inclusive Workforce Policies

Background: Population aging highlights the importance of understanding employment in later life. This study examined demographic, household, educational, and geographic factors associated with employment among older adults in Thailand. Methods: This cross-sectional secondary analysis used unweighted respondent-level data from 49,739 individuals aged 60 years or older in Thailand’s Labor Force Survey, Quarter 4 of 2022. Employment was defined using the recoded variable RE_WK2. Crude and multivariable binary logistic regression analyses assessed associations between employment and sex, age, marital status, education, region, residential area, and household size. Results: Among respondents, 18,922 (38.0%) were employed and 30,817 (62.0%) were not employed. In the adjusted model, male sex was associated with higher odds of employment (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.336, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.235–2.441), while increasing age was associated with lower odds (aOR = 0.857, 95% CI: 0.854–0.860). Primary or lower education was associated with higher odds than no formal education (aOR = 1.591, 95% CI: 1.446–1.751), whereas secondary or diploma and university or higher education were associated with lower odds. Region, municipal residence, marital status, and household size were also associated with employment. The model correctly classified 72.4% of respondents, although the significant Hosmer–Lemeshow test indicated imperfect calibration. Conclusion: Employment among older adults was associated with demographic and contextual characteristics. These findings may inform further research and targeted employment support. However, they should not be interpreted as causal relationships or nationally representative estimates.