One million over-fifties 'dumped on work scrapheap'

Over one million 50 - 65-year-olds who want to work are unable to find a job, according to a report by the TUC.

The report, entitled 'Ready willing and able', claimed that employers would not recruit older workers or retain the ones they already employed by investing in training or making minor adjustments for disabilities.

The union has urged employers and government to defuse the "demographic timebomb" of a rapidly ageing workforce being pushed out of work and on to benefits and early pensions, by introducing policies and practices to retain and recruit workers over 50.

The TUC said that the report "rubbishes the myth of luxury early retirement" for the 'baby boom' generation. Of the 2.6 million 50-65-year-olds who are currently unemployed or economically inactive, over a third want a job, with 250,000 actively looking and 750,000 saying that they want work.

The TUC also found that, despite an average retirement age of 63, only 12% of non-working 50 - 65-year-olds fit the stereotype of 'early retired, affluent professionals'. The union said that only a third retired early 'fully voluntarily, while many others survive on state support such as incapacity benefit or inadequate occupational pensions until they reach state pension age.

Over the next ten years, it is estimated that the number of people under 50 will fall by 2% while the number aged 50 - 69 will rise by 17%, increasing the ratio of pensioners to working people.

The TUC estimated that, without an extra one million people in work, by 2015 workers will face higher taxes, later retirement or old-age poverty. The report warned that government plans to tackle the problem by raising state pension will push even more older people on to benefits, unless employers stop discriminating against older workers and adopt 'age management' strategies - such as considering requests for reasonable adjustments to work stations, equipment and working practices for older workers - in order to retain over-fifties.

TUC Deputy General Secretary Frances O'Grady said: "Most baby boomers are not retiring early to cruise around the world or go bungee-jumping. They have been dumped out of work and on to the scrapheap and are scraping by on benefits or small work pensions.

"By refusing to retain and recruit older staff, who want to work, employers are accelerating the demographic timebomb the economy is resting on. Companies need to ditch tired stereotypes of fifty and sixty-something and develop 'age management' policies which capitalise on the value of experienced staff by offering retraining and flexible working, and making minor changes for people with disabilities."

(KMcA)