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?

NHS was judged best overall healthcare model.

Long term sickness and no longer having EU labourers to pay poverty wages to has resulted in a smaller workforce. In other news-bears shit in the woods. Almost as if brexit and the tories decimating the NHS have catastrophic, obvious consequences like this. If I was retired, someone dangling £50s on a hook outside my door couldn’t get me to step foot outside to sell my labour again.

I think this is the more likely experience. I'm 52 and a lot of women are let go around this age. It is not their fault but their future is at risk, pension wise.

I envy people who made enough to retire in midlife but really, I know I'm lucky as I won't be let go for daring to age. I can go 80% in my 60s but I will have to keep working til my contributory pension.
Single, so one income.

My hubby is over this age and enjoying his job in a supermarket

@Zuve Presumably part time?

There’s shortages in many countries- mostly due to pandemic. People stopped working and haven’t gone back.

Yes it was.. NHS was mid field for out comes and diags etc now its bottom of the league.

People have always retired early if they can, its nothing new at all & they are self funding until able to collect state pension.

The UK isn't short of 60 yo's.... its short of intelligent fit and young workers, eager to do long hours, the type we would employ from the EU.

Now we don't have that and Govt come up with a scheme of a Dads Army workforce to save the day...

Absolutely no way!

DH and I made great provisions so we could both retire at 59 and ensure we were financially comfortable for the rest of our lives.

Despite having great careers, neither of us have missed work for a second. DH has now been retired 12 years and me almost eight and enjoying life to the full. 👍

What they really need to do is introduce penalties for employers who let go all the older female staff. This isn't what this thread is about as on mumsnet it's not unusual to be able to support yourself following an early retirement but in the real world, hordes of women in their early 50s are being let go and it's due to ageism. Employers should be induced to look beyond their usual vision for a new employee. They only want young people, and for some roles, I get that, but for other roles where reliability and a bit of wisdom would be very important, there is no reason to search only for young candidates but I see it all the time.

Now we don't have that and Govt come up with a scheme of a Dads Army workforce to save the day...

And for anyone saying ageism is the last acceptable ism, there it is.

Yes this is it. Of course those who have prepared are going to say no way, which is completely understandable

But outside this thread which will attract that answer it is a big issue

To which I would answer - anyone but them. Just go for the least harmful option you have available to you.

Keir Starmer is a top human right lawyer, and a capable, sensible guy. Why wouldn't you want him as prime minister, instead of the pathological liar and self-promoter Boris Johnson (or any of the rest of them) unless you had been filled with propaganda paid for by rich tycoons living in tax havens?

I know a lot of people in this age bracket who have given up working

There are those in very poor health. Even those in good health would struggle with physical jobs such as care and hospitality

There are those caring for the young and the old

There are those who say life is too short and would rather live a very simple but happy life than work for a life of stress and misery

Personally - they need us to work - to make the rich richer , to buy more stuff to help destroy the planet a little faster ? Whilst every year things get a little worse? No thanks

There is enough money in this country it just needs spreading out . Billions on energy firm profits ? Legalise and tax drugs? A top rate tax on the billionaires !

Priorities need to be refocused from growth to sustainability and stability . Priorities of real people supported by the economy not the other way around

I'm not stupid - if I keep on supporting the status quo nothing will change for the better

I guess they perceive (probably correctly) that it will be easier to get people who have already worked for 40 years to go back to work than to get those in their 20s and 30s who have never worked to get a job.

I'm definitely retiring from my mentally taxing role age 60, work pensions should bring in around £22k in today's money, plus whatever DHs private pension gives - possibly more.

At this point in time - early 50s - I wouldn't be averse to doing a few shifts per week of something not involving much responsibility, to top up the money and provide a bit of human interaction.Not sure I would need government to find me a role - I know how to distribute my CV and talk to people.

Why don't we start nearer to home by looking at the £39 billion the Tories stuffed into their pockets for PPE?

Rishy will like me: late 50’s, have three jobs, want to keep working until I’m not physically able or have care duties which will, obviously, be more important 😊

European employers have seen an 8% fall in EU migrant workers moving to other EU countries across low to mid skilled workforce.

UK on the other hand has seen a far bigger drop.

That is the root cause of our problems.

Why did the pp get told not to bring up Brexit / EU when other posters are bringing it up?

Seems odd and one sided

Pensions are taxed as income. If your income is more than the personal allowance, you’re taxed accordingly.

If you ve actively decided to stop working, you will not return, focusing on younger people makes far more sense or they will become 40s and 50s who have never worked.

I saw this article and thought it was an early Aprils Fool. There are generally two types of retirees. Those that had high earning jobs and accrued large savings or pension pots and those who have failing health. Neither groups want to return to work.

My friendship group's average retirement age is 68-70 and almost all of them can not see themselves working in a full time capacity to their retirement ages. In fact everyone is looking at ways to either reduce to part time hours or retire sometime after their mid fifties.

Instead of the MOT maybe the government should encourage businesses to offer older workers more flexible working conditions e.g. 4 day weeks, increasing holiday allowance above 5 weeks and tackling ageism in work places.

This is why

The "great resignation" sparked by Covid could be reversing due to the cost-of-living crisis, new data has found. The over-50s who have walked away from their jobs since the pandemic have increasingly considered returning to work in recent months because they need more money, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The survey, conducted in August, found that a massive 72% of people in their 50s would consider going back to work, compared with 58% who said so in February

The PP posted an anti Brexit rant totally unrelated to anything related to the subject matter on the thread (and was also rude and insulting). That's why I said what I said.

Other contributions mentioning the EU have been related to the thread.

Rising aging population compared to young folk = shortage of people in work force. Migration will be required to make up this gap (I have no issue with this btw)

it’s more than just funding retirement.

My worry is that the young folks wake up and smell the coffee when they realise they are carrying the burden. Be very interesting to see how that plays out politically. I will of course be watching with interest in my early retirement villa in Spain… 😂