Many older workers want the right to stay in their jobs after the age of 65, but employers fear that they could become a financial liability. Since the introduction of age discrimination laws more than a year ago, there has been much debate on whether people should work past the mandatory retirement age (MRA). The government, in the face of a demo-graphic time bomb and skills shortages, is keen for us to work beyond 65 and has been preparing to raise the age at which we can collect the state pension. Its new laws banned age discrimination in the workplace and yet allowed businesses to retain the default retirement age of 65 if they wished. Most of them did. An employee can now ask to work beyond 65, but if an employer rejects the request, it does not have to give a reason, in marked contrast to requests for flexible working. The message seems to be that we need to work longer – but that we do not have the right to do so.
The Times