Age is no longer holding people back in the workplace, according to one expert.
Donna Tipping, a senior consultant at Forster AGEncy, said that when the default retirement age is abolished, people in their 50s no longer see “age as a barrier for changing career”.
She explained that for many of them, their motivation may be financial.
However, Ms Tipping also thinks that if the government raises the retirement age to 66, it will encourage employers to see the value of an older worker’s wisdom and experience.
She added: “With a minimum of ten to 15 years left to work, why wouldn’t 50-somethings want to transfer their skills to another sector, or improve their work life balance?”
Her comments come after HSBC revealed 30 per cent of people in their 50s decide to have a change of career later in life. A further 55 per cent of older people in the UK said they do not think they will ever completely stop working.
Posted by Colette Paxton
Has Ms Tipping not read the statistics from AgeUK on the number of long termed unemployed over the age of 50? Employers are still biased against anyone over 50 and until this changes, which any amount of legislation will not do, then the options for the over 50s are severely limited. Never mind career change we are just grateful to be employed!