This paper looks at the employment and unemployment situations of older persons in India, building upon a series of population censuses and rounds of National Sample Surveys, along with the author’s projections. There are various mechanisms for older persons in India to remain active and engaged in gainful employment. However, these mechanisms are rarely prevalent, and poverty incidence among older persons is high, in terms of economic dependency and access to financial assets. Social security schemes exist for the organised and unorganised labour, of which coverage is nevertheless limited. This paper demonstrates the magnitude of these issues in India which has the second largest elderly population in the world. It thus highlights a need for effective and timely policy responses to address these issues.