United Kingdom: Study Shows Older Workers Demanding More Work

In the United Kingdom, the demand for working beyond 65 looks set to increase significantly over the next 15 years, according to survey results from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). Specifically, 38% of workers aged between 50 and 64 years plan to carry on working beyond 65, compared with only 11% of the workforce currently working beyond that State Pension age. Furthermore, "among those who said they did not plan to work past 65, 31% would change their mind if their employer allowed them to work flexibly."

According to Charles Cotton, CIPD reward adviser:

On one level the survey findings look very positive, in that they show a strong demand for working beyond retirement age that is as much down to financial as other reasons such as individuals wanting to use their skills and experience. However, it is clear that Government policy could do more to encourage more older workers to stay on by extending the right to request flexible working beyond parents and carers and making pension arrangements more flexible. If the Government fails to do this, its target of having a million older workers in work will become a mere aspiration.

Source: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development Press Release (January 25, 2008)