UK workers welcome abolition of forced retirement

OAP Employee

A survey conducted amongst over 13,000 people found that the majority were in favour of having the default retirement age scrapped.

Whilst a raising of the pension age itself has been met with a muted response, people are in favour of being in control of when they decide to give up working. According to estimations, the Government could have reaped an extra £3.5 billion in tax revenue last year, had they allowed people to continue working beyond 65.

The survey was conducted online by NESTA (Saga and the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts). Of the people surveyed, 90 percent stated that they thought their desire and ability to work was more important than their actual age, 61 percent cited money as a reason for continuing work, 59 percent wanted to work to keep busy, a further 50 percent of people said they simply enjoyed working.

Whilst the Coalition Government has stated that they intend to “phase out” the retirement age, Michelle Mitchell of Age UK wants something a bit more concrete: “A clear commitment to scrapping forced retirement next April is needed to end speculation and confusion among employers and employees alike. It would show how the Government was making freedom and fairness a reality for many people in later life who are denied that opportunity.”