From 1 October 2011 the ‘default retirement age’ of 65 will be scrapped by the UK Government in a move announced by the Coalition last week.
The move will prevent employers from forcing staff out when they reach the age of 65. Despite protests from employer groups, the government will go ahead with the plan stating that it would give people “more freedom of choice” and employers will be able to utilise older worker’s skills for a longer time.
Older workers can play an incredibly important role in the workplace and it is high time we ended this outdated form of age discrimination, said Employment Relations Minister Edward Davey.
About two-thirds of employers in the UK no longer use fixed retirement ages. With over 850,000 workers 65+, there is no evidence that productivity declines after that age, Davey went on to say.
Population projections suggest more than 10 million people living in Britain today will reach their 100th birthday. This in itself will keep The Queen working hard ~ mailing out all those letters!
great news for older people, great news for business and great news for the economy
freedom of choice
Posted by Alison in Commentary on January 25th, 2011
From 1 October 2011 the ‘default retirement age’ of 65 will be scrapped by the UK Government in a move announced by the Coalition last week.
The move will prevent employers from forcing staff out when they reach the age of 65. Despite protests from employer groups, the government will go ahead with the plan stating that it would give people “more freedom of choice” and employers will be able to utilise older worker’s skills for a longer time.
Population projections suggest more than 10 million people living in Britain today will reach their 100th birthday. This in itself will keep The Queen working hard ~ mailing out all those letters!
ageing workforce, older workers, retirement, SageCo Talk
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