Meet the paradox This month the state retirement age for men and women was unified at 65. It will move to 68 by 2039. The ‘ageing’ of the state retirement age clearly indicates the expectation by the state that people will work for longer. Given the recent increases in longevity, this would appear a reasonable expectation. However, the rate of population ageing is slowing. And many people are uncertain if they could work through to state retirement age in their current occupations – the fear of ‘working until you drop’. But the even bigger problem is that employers haven’t caught...
Bias runs deep in the psyche but has now been found deep in the algorithm. What hope is there for a reduction in inequalities – whether by age, gender, ethnicity, ability or socio-economics? Discrimination is hitting the headlines. Over the last year, #MeToo and #TimesUp have outed sexual harassment and the reality of sex discrimination. The extent of the gender pay gap has been revealed and the government has now announced that, leading on from its Race Audit, it will be looking into ethnicity and pay. But this week I heard that Amazon has discovered its recruitment algorithm creating new...
Disappearing at 50 When I was Manager of the Commission on Older Women, organised and chaired by Labour’s Harriet Harman, one of the key messages that came home to us was that people in their 50s, in this case women, disappear. We held many listening events to hear the voices of older women. They told us again and again that they were not seen in the media, their voices were not heard, and their opinions not sought. Once you had reached 50, especially as a woman, you were no longer of importance in, or to, society. Seeing and hearing the...
Ageing in an Unequal World I was fortunate to be able to attend the annual conference of the British Society of Gerontology this month, one of 650 delegates from 30 countries, including many, as me, attending for the first time. This was a huge conference with plenaries, symposiums, papers and posters presented across 10 parallel thematic and contemporary concerns around the topic of ageing in an unequal world. From the various discussions and presentations, I have identified the following themes which appear of particular interest in relation to the issues and policy challenges for the 50 to retirement generation. Inequalities...
Are you over 50 but not yet retired, still involved in the world of work? You might be one of over 10 million over 50s currently in a job. Or you might be one of the 3 million over 50s outside the workforce but don’t think you are retired, perhaps actively wanting to return to work. Do you think your opinions and thoughts about what is important are getting through to the people that matter? New Middle Age thinks the answer is no and that needs to change. We need to find a voice. So here is New Middle Age...
New data shows an increase in over 50s employment. But some changes merely reflect movement between categories, and there are other indications that the story may not be what we think. So what are over 50s employment trends today – more at work or just working longer? New data release The new March 2018 ONS UK labour market data release tells an interesting story about over 50 employment. The report showed that employment for the over 50s has reached an all-time high of 10.1 million, the result of an established trend of rising employment and decreasing unemployment and economic inactivity...
#OlderNotOver is a new campaign launched here to re-imagine the 50 to retirement generation as a valuable resource in the workplace. Over 50s at work are #OlderNotOver! The #OlderNotOver challenge The challenge is three-fold: We need to recognise the value and potential of over 50s already in the workplace. We need to find the over 50s currently outside the workplace who want to return, re-connect them with employers and training, and relaunch their careers. We need to ensure work for over 50s is sustainable, with continuing opportunities to progress and support that suits them. What’s the problem? ‘Old dogs’ and...
The House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee inquiry into older people and employment took its first oral evidence yesterday. This is a welcome inquiry which will seek to examine the effectiveness of current Government policies to help people extend their working lives, and consider further steps which could be taken to tackle issues including age discrimination. In an excellent opening session, evidence was presented around the core issues of why more over 50s are not in work, the barriers they face and what more could be done to increase employment for this group. The session can be viewed in...
Yesterday’s Budget was controversial, as much for what it left out as for what it gave away. The NHS, care and housing had all queued up and were left wanting more. But probably the biggest problem issue of the Budget came from the problem of flat-lining productivity. Do older workers have a contribution to make here? Flat-lining productivity The Budget Statement states that ‘The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) now expects to see slower GDP growth over the forecast period, mainly reflecting a change in its forecast for productivity growth. It has revised down its forecast for GDP growth by 0.5 percentage points to...
I bumped into an acquaintance today who told me that he has just stepped away from his highly senior, highly paid City job. His story made me think that, after 50, we can find work ‘too hot’ or ‘too cold’, but struggle to find work which is ‘just right’ – a Goldilocks phenomenon. Stories of work after 50 Just into his 50s, my acquaintance had found that what initially looked like a golden opportunity had rapidly turned sour – ultra-long hours, heavy travel needs, invasion of vacation time. Friends and colleagues cautioned that this stage in a career was the...
