Non-Profit-Making Production and Informal Voluntary Work: What Is Its Economic Relevance for the Productive Activities of Retirees?

Young pensioners produce many services during retirement, but this production doesn’t have market value so it doesn’t enter into National accounts. Pensioners can work for voluntary sector (voluntary works for friendly societies, charitable organizations, sports-club, other non-profit making organisations...). Or production can be more informal like solidarity between generations (managing dependence of older people, taking care of children...). All this production is significant (it represents about 1.2 million jobs in France) and new generations of pensioners should develop it in the future. This paper analyses first the economic importance of this production. Then, it wonders about the relation between this production and other production ways, “official” and “registered” productions, realized by private entreprises or by government services.