Hello,
I hope you found last week’s chapter on money interesting (and perhaps even helpful in clarifying your thoughts about your own retirement finances) – and also that you joined the online conversation about the article. I spent almost three hours chatting to readers after the piece launched online and really enjoyed it.
Today’s article considers if you will work till you drop. I’ve been to Stoke-on-Trent to look at how Britain’s workforce is ageing. I explore why increasing numbers of employers are working hard to keep their older employers, but also why age discrimination still cuts short the careers of thousands of older workers keen to carry on working.
Here are some statistics I hope will whet your appetite:
- In the past 15 years, the number of working people aged 50 to 64 has increased by 60% to 8 million.
- By 2020 one-third of the workforce will be over 50.
- The proportion of people aged 70-74 in employment has almost doubled over the past 10 years.
But:
- Almost a third of people in the UK aged 50 to 64 are not working.
- More older people are becoming jobless than are finding work.
- Almost 40% of employment and support allowance claimants are over 50.
Further down the line I’ll be looking at what retirement is like for women: what are the gender-specific issues that have affected you? If you would like to share your experience, please do get in touch by emailing me at new.retirement@theguardian.com
All the best, Amelia
