"And so, last month in London, interest and passion for ageing came together to get some joined up thinking going. The object of this exercise was to probe the edges of The Age of No Retirement (AONR). Undeniable yet broadly ignored, this age is already upon us."

from the OP - someone is on the case!

If we are going to have to work longer then there will have to be a huge change- at the moment someone if 56yrs doesn't stand much chance of even getting an interview.

The real problem is that pensions, whether from the state or elsewhere, can't afford to keep paying out for more & more people who live a long time after retirement.

If you are defined by your job then you are going to be in trouble, but your job is only a small part of who you are.

Retirement isn't the end and slowing down- lots of people are much busier- they are just free to pick and choose and not have the straight jacket of paid employment.

50yrs is no age! I had a child at primary school- I was not unusual.
It was in the paper today about the sandwich generation and the fact that if you are working much longer you simply are not available to look after elderly parents. The country would also grind to a halt if it wasn't for volunteers- and most of those volunteers are retired.

They certainly do in supermarkets, and chain stores generally.

The labour market is not static with a fixed number of jobs, it is constantly growing. There is room both for new comers to the labour market and for older people who do not wish to leave it. The old and young do not work in the same sectors of the market.

Don't firefighters have to have regular checks, so if their health is starting to fail it will be picked up?

I do know some very fit 55 year old men. But one of those only last night was saying that he needed to get to the gym, as he was starting to slow down and get aches and pains. So now, after you saying that, although he looks every inch the part of a firefighter, I think I would be worried that I might put someone's back out if I saw a hint of a grey hair!

The fire brigade is on strike at the moment because the government wants them to carry on working until they are 60 instead of 55 at the moment.

I cannot imagine being rescued by someone who is only five years younger than me.

I started work at the age of 13, six days a week.
Retired when I was 69 with 3 pensions that I paid for,packed up smoking and cut my drinking back drastically.I dont want to work anymore, I enjoy getting up when I want to and my only obligation is to take my old dog for a walk twice daily and to keep taking the tablets.

perhaps I should have had a plan or consulted an oficionado'

happy days.

jane, rosequartz referred to the state pension age being paid later and later in recent years - which is the point I was replying to.

My post didn't apply to pensioners who carry on working for whatever reason.

I've not followed this thread, but I have one comment.

It's OK for those in some jobs to work on into older age, but what about those that do manual jobs, anyone fancy laying carpets at 70 ?.

But Ana the State pension will be paid to those eligible whether they're working or not, so it will cost the state more if older people are employed at the expense of younger ones who are in receipt of JSA.
Also, once you have reached state pension age, you no longer have to pay NI, so the state loses out, although it will still take income tax.

'It seems ridiculous to me that the pension age is becoming later and later and yet we will be paying out benefits to young people who are unable to get a job. Where's the sense in that?'

In fact it's quite canny, rosequartz! The basic state pension is far greater than JSA so it's cheaper to have more unemployed youngsters.

No flies on that George Osborne...

When old-age pensions were introduced, the qualifying ages (65 & 60) were deliberately set at just a few years before the average life expectancies for men & women.
Now that life expectancies are longer, the pensionable age is being made later, meaning most older people need to have employment.

In any case, the state pension is hardly a fortune so many older people wish to work in order to have a reasonable standard of living.

There shouldn't be a need to look at the situation as either / or, young / old. It should be possible to find a solution for everyone but it probably needs a bit more imagination than that possessed by the current government.

I agree with janea. Many (not all, I know) older people have had the chance to work and build up pensions and savings and many younger people are desperately looking for work.

It seems ridiculous to me that the pension age is becoming later and later and yet we will be paying out benefits to young people who are unable to get a job. Where's the sense in that?

Perhaps the older ones who are so helpful and cheerful working in service industries could be kept on to train youngsters some of whom (not all I emphasise again!) can be surly, unhelpful and resentful at having to serve customers.

I just think they need to rethink aging not us!

My DS supports himself through uni as a reservist, so he knows all about hard work and lack of sleep. Being the ones who get called out to floods for sandbagging duties etc. Most of his friends are working part or full time as well as studying. When we took him back last month, the house was empty, they were all at work. Many of them can't go home during the holidays, most have to work over Christmas.

Ageing??? She is talking about 50 yr olds!

Hildajeni I think you have a point about some younger people and their work ethic.

There is lovely checkout assistant in my local ASDA who is probably 82 now. I went in one day and his till was decorated for his 80th birthday, he looks way younger than that.

He has just the right personality for the job and cheers me up on my usual Friday morning supermarket run.
As long as he is fit and can do the job he should keep going.

I doubt if many younger assistants would have his style and good manners.

Hildaj Impressed.

As I've said before, I'm very cross about the fact that I will be compulsorily retired at age 72.
I know that this is illegal, so who do I work for?
The Ministry of Justice!

How many young people in their twenties or thirties would like to get up at 03.00 to go and vacuum, polish and scrub for three hours? If you want a good night's sleep, it means going to bed at 19.00 to get eight hours. No young people applied for my job and the position was still available when I retired from Nursing, so I took it to supplement my pension. I am in my early sixties though.

I think that's what most people think. I worry that my son may not find a job when he leaves uni, I worry that someday soon some young upstart will think DBH is getting on a bit and retire him.