Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will today signal a push to keep older people in work longer, saying they may need to learn new skills in order to stay in the jobs market.

Key points: The access age for the pension is due to reach 67 by mid-2023

The access age for the pension is due to reach 67 by mid-2023 Most Australians complete work training and education in their youth, but Mr Frydenberg will say that needs to change

Most Australians complete work training and education in their youth, but Mr Frydenberg will say that needs to change Mr Frydenberg says migration, which typically sees younger people come into the county, softens the impact of the ageing population

Mr Frydenberg will tell the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) dinner there needs to be a "new dynamic" in the way the country's ageing population is dealt with.

While Australians are living longer and healthier lives, labour force participation continues to decline as people age.

At the beginning of the decade, the average retirement age was about 63.

But with the access age for the pension due to reach 67 by mid-2023, the Government is looking to minimise the economic burden of older, unemployed Australians on the budget bottom line.

Mr Frydenberg will say working Australians currently undertake 80 per cent of their training before they turn 21.

"This will have to change if we want to continue to see more Australians stay engaged in work for longer," he will say.

How will the Government meet its challenge?

The Treasurer will say the Government has three levers to meet its challenge: population, participation and productivity.

Workforce participation is at a record high — the participation rate for those aged 65 and over has increased from 12.3 per cent to 14.6 per cent over the last five years.

It was 6 per cent 20 years ago.

But actually helping older Australians learn new disciplines, trades or skill sets is another challenge entirely.

The issue of an ageing population is not a new one, nor is it unique to Australia.

Given the cost to the economy, encouraging people to stay in the workforce for longer periods has been a priority for successive governments.

It has been canvassed in dozens of reports dating back decades, including productivity commission papers examining the economic challenges of Australia's long-term prospects.

In 2005, a productivity commission report commissioned by then-treasurer Peter Costello discussed delayed access to the pension to raise workforce participation rates, and initiatives directed at bringing older people into the workforce.

The workforce participation rate for those aged 65 and over has increased in the past five years. ( Pixabay: engin akyurt )

The Government currently has various tax policies aimed at keeping people in the workforce, and also superannuation schemes that are specific to people aged over 50.

However, the Human Rights Commission has warned more needs to be done to overcome age discrimination in the workforce.

The Government has yet to release its latest intergenerational report, which will map out the budget costs of essential services over the next 40 years.

Migration softens the impact of an ageing population: Treasurer

Mr Frydenberg is also expected to declare migration will continue to play a role in softening the impact of the nation's ageing bill.

In an opinion piece published in the Australian Financial Review today, Mr Frydenberg writes "when it comes to population, our migration program has served us well".

Mr Frydenberg wants older Australians to have the training to remain in the workforce. ( AAP: Stefan Postles )

"With the median age of migrants being 20 to 25, or 10 years less than that of the broader population, immigration has helped to soften the economic impacts of an ageing population," he wrote.

Concerns over transport infrastructure and property prices in Sydney and Melbourne have seen population growth become a political issue for the Coalition, leaving Prime Minister Scott Morrison to announce the Government would cap permanent migration at 160,000 for the next four years.