Some 2,700 people over the age of 80 still had a paid job in the Netherlands in September last year, according to the national statistics office CBS.

Of them, 2,300 had a permanent job and 400 worked on flexible contracts, the agency said. Elderly men are three times more likely to work than women.

While most of the over-80s worked part time – not more than 12 hours a week – 700 were still putting in a full working week. They were most likely to work in financial services or the retail trade.

A relatively large proportion of the over 80s also work in farming. This is often because it can be difficult for farmers to find a successor, the CBS said.