Occupational Safety & Health · People

Young and older workers

Young workers suffer more injuries; older workers more disease. Georgia's rules for minors, the ILO evidence, and what is not measured.

Last updated: 3 October 2026

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Overview

Young workers aged 15–24 make up more than 15% of the world's labour force and suffer up to a 40% higher rate of non-fatal occupational injuries than adults over 25, because of inexperience, lack of training and the sectors they enter (ILO, 2018). Older workers carry the disease burden of a working life — in the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates, work-related deaths concentrate among those over 54 (WHO and ILO, 2021). In Georgia, youth unemployment is 23.7% (ages 15–24, 2025) and 23.4% of 15–29-year-olds are not in employment, education or training (Geostat); those who do work are concentrated in services, construction and informal work.

Key figures

Up to 40%

Higher rate of non-fatal occupational injuries among young workers than adults over 25

ILO (2018)

541 million

Young workers (15–24) worldwide, more than 15% of the labour force

ILO (2018)

16 · 18

Minimum age for employment, and for hazardous work, in Georgia

Labour Code

23.7%

Youth unemployment rate (15–24), 2025

Geostat

Rules for minors in Georgia

Employment is permitted from 16; from 14 only for light work with parental consent (Labour Code).
Hazardous, heavy and harmful work and night work are prohibited under 18.
Georgia has ratified ILO Conventions No. 138 (minimum age, specified at 15) and No. 182 (worst forms of child labour).
See the dictionary entry child labour and Youth, Skills & Education.

Older workers

Georgia's pension age is 65 for men and 60 for women; many continue working in agriculture and self-employment beyond it.
Older workers face higher risks from heat, shift work and physical load, and bear the accumulated burden of occupational disease, which Georgia does not record.
The accident record does not publish age breakdowns in accessible sources.

Public health perspective (WHO)

WHO's Global Plan of Action asks for workers' health policies that address the life course, and its Healthy Ageing framework treats work in later life as a health determinant. For young workers WHO stresses training and supervision; for older workers, health surveillance and adapted work. Neither age group is visible in Georgia's occupational health data. Workers' health: the public health perspective.

Data gaps

No age breakdown of occupational accidents in published sources.
No data on injuries among apprentices, interns or seasonal young workers.
No data on work beyond pension age by sector or on its health effects.

Sources

ILO (2018). Improving the safety and health of young workers (World Day 2018 report). www.astrid-online.it
Solidarity Center (2020). World Day for Safety and Health at Work: young workers. solidaritycenter.org
WHO and ILO (2021). Almost 2 million people die from work-related causes each year. www.who.int
Geostat (2026). Labour force indicators by age. www.geostat.ge
ETF–Eurofound (2024). Working life in Georgia. www.etf.europa.eu

Figures are from the GILS Evidence Register and the official sources shown. GILS is independent of government, trade unions, employers' organisations and the ILO.