Half Of Older Workers Want To Keep Jobs Past Retirement Age

The number of older workers still hoping to move up the career ladder is more than double the number who are looking to take a downwards step to ease their workload, according to a survey published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Of nearly 1,500 people surveyed, 62 per cent of women and 59 per cent of men aged between 50 and 75 said they want to continue working beyond the default retirement age.

The equality watchdog is using the figures to back calls for an end to forced retirement and an extension of the right to flexible working hours for older people.

Members of the House of Lords today have the opportunity to abolish the default retirement age through the Equality Bill, after Harriet Harman, the Minister for Women and Equality, announced a fast-track Government review of the age limit this month.

She argued the current age of 60 for women and 65 for men "arbitrary" and "bears no relation to people's ability".

The Deputy Labour Leader said the changes to the Bill would not mean workers would be forced to work beyond 65, but would give them the option to choose to, meaning they could stay in their jobs into their 70s or even their 80s.

They should also get a legal right to ask to work part-time or from home, or to request flexible working hours, she said.

The change in the law would not alter the point at which the state pension can be claimed and would cover staff who have already signed contracts that say they will retire at the normal age.

The latest figures show a record 1.4 million employees have reached the state pension age of 60 for women and 65 for men. Companies are currently not compelled to agree to their requests to work on, but Miss Harman said the Government wanted to give people the legal right to do so.

Baroness Margaret Prosser, Deputy Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said: “Radical change is what older Britons are telling us needs to happen for them to stay in the workforce. Employers with a focus on recruiting and retaining older workers on flexible working arrangements are telling us it makes good business sense, allowing them to recruit and retain talent while meeting the flexible needs of their customers.

“Keeping older Britons healthy and in the workforce also benefits the economy more broadly by decreasing welfare costs and increasing the spending power of older Britons.

Extending working lives by 18 months would inject £15 billion into the British economy, according to the National Institute of Economic and Social Research