What percentage of the older working age population have no formal qualifications?

Although there are many highly qualified older workers, generally speaking, the older the individual the less likely they are to have formal qualifications.  

According to the Office for National Statistics*, 16.9% of men aged 50 to state pension age (SPA) have no qualifications whilst for women in this age group the figure is 21.2%. This compares to 8.9% of men and 9.8% of women aged 25-49 who have no formal qualifications.

It is a truism across all age groups that those without qualifications are less likely to be in work than those with them.

* Labour Force Survey Q2 2008

 (August 2009)