Over 50 and not working by choice. Would a ‘mid-life MOT’ tempt you back?

[PuzzledObserver]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64083802

The phrase “not on your nelly” comes to mind.

There are reasons - good ones - why I retired early. They still apply, I’m not bored, I don’t feel my life lacks meaning, and finances are OK. So I’m finding difficult to think of a reason to rejoin the workforce.

How about you?

OU doesn't do GCSE's as far as I know, it's a university.

You do GCSEs through the local college. I might ring them again in the new year.

Ah yes sorry. I think it's the NEC (National Extension College) who do GCSEs and A levels through flexible remote learning, so you can do it whenever you want.

Companies are just going to have to get used to it, and competing for employees with other firms, by raising wages to attract staff. This is how it is supposed to be. 20 years of mass immigration made people think that workers should be happy to have jobs and prepared to accept poor wages and bad conditions.

Companies are just going to have to get used to it, and competing for employees with other firms, by raising wages to attract staff. This is how it is supposed to be.

that will mean higher prices for services and goods, and persistent high inflation. I can cope. I guess it's what people knew they were voting for when they voted for Brexit/ reducing immigration.

I think there needs to be a more flexible approach, part time hours, more holidays, block workinf etc.
Some people want to retire early and can afford it- others want to keep working- for a multitude of reasons.
I am in my 60s and love working, I am fit and well and plan no retirement at the moment.
My OH's company has a flexible approach to retirement.
They are a technical company and the skills they need are in big demand, always vacacies, and have a few members of staff in their mid 70s who work part time.
This is what OH is hoping for as he moves through his 60s, or perhaps turns to contract working in blocks, which pays ££££, and has a couple of months off between contracts.
I am itching to get back to work- I am done with christmas and looking forward to getting back to normal.

your pension is treated as salary. You pay tax at exactly the same rate as someone working .

^^
This

Very low inflation & a Govt addicted to Austerity/Giving 0 or 1% public sector wage increases caused very low wage rises NOT immigration., the research is very clear on this.

Good you think the Government should give Health workers higher wages to attract and retain staff though :)

Not just health workers. Everyone in the public sector pretty much bas had repeated real-terms paycuts for well over a decade. It's no longer sustainable.

It's not just the public sector though is it? Private sector workers often have less favourable terms and conditions than public sector and have also seen below inflation pay rises for decades. No pay scales, no rises for experience or training, no career paths. Some have no entitlement to sick pay even, absolute minimum holidays etc. I'm not saying it should be a race to the bottom, but I think the entire package has to be looked at.

I think this site is strongly skewed towards public sector workers. The private sector is far more important, employs much more people, and pays for the public sector through taxes.

Interesting

A counter argument is that the public sector provides education, health care, infrastructure, defence, social care etc so the private sector can flourish.

If we didn't have a public sector, or even charities, would we have the private sector?

It's not just the public sector though is it? Private sector workers often have less favourable terms and conditions than public sector and have also seen below inflation pay rises for decades

I think that depends hugely on industry. In many that's not the case at all: pay and benefits in private much higher. Bonuses. In my industry private sector workers got near inflationary rises this year and public sector got 1%.

Neither can flourish without the other. Your view is overly simplistic.

The private sector would exist without the public, the public sector would not exist without the private.

Yes we need both to flourish but the private sector should take precedence.

The public sector is more important.

Medical care
Schooling
waste
transport.

No private company could run without these in place.

No, when I leave work I'm out of there for good. Hopefully not too long

Both are. You can’t hammer private sector and expect public to do well.

Tax receipts fund expenditure

I agree though there doesn’t seem as many posting working in private sector these days

What, all on its own? Those who work in the public sector pay tax too you know!

I am in the private sector and mainly post during working days. I left the public sector years ago as it was much harder work.

Another response not fully thought about, instead of tackling the real causes of labour shortages. In some professions the way they are run, in some pay, and in many, Brexit.

Just read today that the number of over fifties on zero hour contracts is the highest it has ever been. No wonder people leave work as soon as they can.

I think that depends hugely on industry. In many that's not the case at all: pay and benefits in private much higher. Bonuses. In my industry private sector workers got near inflationary rises this year and public sector got 1%.
I agree but that isn't true across the board. Even within my own Fin Servs co, people are on vastly different contracts - no bonuses, below inflation pay rises, some have no sick leave entitlement, some are on a basic 40 hours week and we've been offered 1.5-3% this year. My husband works in NHS and whilst his salary isn't great, he did get increments as well as pay rises, he has far more holidays than me, better parental leave, better sickness policy and loads more. People need to look at the package overall.

To be honest I think the whole game is a bogey and we'd be better starting from scratch in terms of evaluating the applicable salaries etc for jobs.

Both public and private are important but the way the world is going, I'm recommending to my DC to o for pubic sector if possible.

And yet there is talk of recruiting those who have left work. As if you are going to go back on those terms. Zero hours is just one reason there is a labour shortage.