Population Ageing and the Well-Being of Older Persons in Thailand ...

Section 3: Demographic, Social and Economic Profile
of urban elderly. The higher proportion of rural
elderly still working likely reflects a greater tendency
in agriculture compared to work in the formal sector
to reduce work rather switch from a situation of full
activity to no activity. An additional contributing
factor is likely an absence of externally imposed
retirement ages for persons in agriculture, most of
whom are self employed. Among those who did work
during the prior week, just over half (52 per cent) of
the women and 61 per cent of the men were active in
agriculture (including fishing). Moreover, according
to the first round of the 2007 Labor Force Survey,
agricultural pursuits are far more common among
older age workers than among economically active
persons at younger ages. For example, engagement in
agriculture among workers under age 50 is only
modestly more than half the level found for workers
age 60 and older.
Sources of income. Although important, work is but
one of a number of possible sources of income for
older aged Thais as Table 3.4 indicates. Among all
persons age 60 and above, by far the most common
source of income are their children. Over 80 per cent
in 2007 reported at least some income from children
during the prior 12 months. One’s own work is the
second most reported source although less than 40
per cent overall report such income and thus appears
to be a far less common source than children. To
some extent, these results likely understate the extent
that work contributes to older persons income. This
is so because presumably responses refer to the
respondent’s own work and do not take account of
income from their spouse’s work which married
couples are likely put to mutual use. Indeed, almost a
fourth of respondents cite their spouse as a source of
income. This category presumably includes all
contributions from the spouse including ones
resulting from economic activity. Almost a third of
respondents report some income from interest,
savings or rent and almost a fourth report receipt of
government elderly welfare allowances, a noteworthy
increase from the five per cent who reported such
allowances earlier in the 2002 round of the survey
(Knodel et al. 2005). Income from relatives is
considerably less common and pensions are reported
by only five per cent of all older persons.
The per cent of older persons reporting particular
sources of income varies with age, gender and area of
residence. Consistent with the decline in economic
activity with age discussed above, persons age 70 and
over are far less likely to report work as a source of
income than those in their sixties. The decline in
economic activity with age, together with increases in
widowhood, likely accounts for the lower percentages
21