Who are all these ‘economically inactive’ 50 year olds

[Orangetapemeasure]

The government is trying to encourage 300000 or so ‘economically inactive’ 50+ year olds back to work. Who are these people and what do they do?
I can imagine some people in their 60s deciding to retire early, but I don’t know a single 50 year old who has or could afford to give up work. In fact I know several previously SAHM who are only launching their careers in their mid 40s. I’m mid 40s with a good 15-20 years left to work.
MN please enlighten me.

I took it to mean that people who retire in their 40s and early fifties aren’t paying nearly as much tax over a longer period of time as their counterparts who work for 10-15 years longer.

My dad retired at 50. Worked in a public service since the age of 17. Has an amazing pension. Obvs won't happen for my generation.

Loads of paramedics retire in their 50. The MARS scheme for a lot of them, my dad included.

Recall that most people -90% - don't end up needing years of care

Not everyone - has an old age of decrepitude or illness or dementia

The majority don't

While there are many more options for remote working than there were previously, and this is having an impact on a lot of jobs that require being present at specific locations and times, the number of people making a living from either OnlyFans or as influencers isn't likely to be statistically significant.

I don't want to live an undignified life in old age. My auntie died of dementia last year and lived a horrible last 10 years after her husband died and subsequent deterioration. She had a good 60 years before that.

I've been subsidising the younger generation since I started work (1975). Just like my parents and grandparents generation subsidised me and just like the younger generation will subsidise the generation behind (and above) them in their turn.

Perhaps not but whether at Uni or not 18 years were usually straight in the work force. Now a lot of them are trying to build up their social media to make an income and are less inclined to take a Saturday job or part time job to help with their studies if they can make a few quid on OF or influencing. It makes it harder for hospitality or retail firms (already his with labour shortages due to Brexit) to recruit.

So we the middle aged who subsidised the older generation and managed to save should bear that in mind, stay in higher paid roles just choffing spare cash into savings because what exactly? Or we should give up the higher paid roles, and do all the lower paid roles as some sort of punishment for being savvy and scrimping and saving?

I don't get this utopia people are on about.

I found this, which is quite reassuring!

Approximately 418,000 people live in care homes (Laing and Buisson survey 2016). This is 4% of the total population aged 65 years and over, rising to 15% of those aged 85 or more.

The danger for all these early retirees is that it's great in your 50's, 60's, even 70's, but then you probably have another 20 shit years, I'll health, care needs, when you will then expect the government (the younger generation) to subsidise you, and that's not fair
My house will pay for my care and I live on a private pension.

Whilst I would like to see OnlyFans out of business, numbers making money there instead of other jobs are likely to be small.

As for worker shortages, perhaps the 50% target for universities and school until 18 has made a contribution. Also creating a divide where certain jobs are not seen as post education options to many.

Though Brexit is the largest single cause.

Some of us though get a double whammy. I spent two years caring for my parents (with the help of professional carers). Both died last year. If I'd been working the whole system would have come tumbling down. I'm glad I was able to help out in those final years, traumatic thought they were.
Though I appreciate I was in a privileged financial position

Yes this is what it is. Saw it start with sick and disabled people when they came into power and then the public sector generally to justify austerity. Then when that, combined with brexit, results in shortages in the workforce they have to find someone else to blame except themselves.

If Brexit hadn't happened we might well have just bought a holiday home in France and carried on working in the UK/France being doubly taxed on income.

Brexit forced us to make the break completely.

The ones I know are all not working on the basis of mental or physical ill health- anxiety, nhs burnout, arthritis, fibromyalgia etc.

My post was in response to the post by NeverDropYourMooncup · Today 09:12
As it didn't quote for some reason

Some are carers for parents or maybe adult children with disability.

Some might have 'niggles' that mean they are claiming incapacity/disability benefit perhaps?

Others have inherited from parents and paid off mortgage and living on inheritance.

A mixture perhaps?

Again, there's no evidence at all that people are staying out of the workforce in any great number with a view to making their income from social media. There are certainly fewer younger people wanting jobs in hospitality now than they're used to be, but that's going to require more of an explanation than bet they're all trying to become influencers.

Um, you have to have way more than a few "niggles" to qualify for long term disability benefits. Don't believe everything you read in the Daily Hate Mail.

@Logicoutofthewindow or some just made good life choices and don't want to work anymore?!

My mum fits this group. She's only ever worked part time, she had kids young and didn't need to work until I was about ten, she does a lot for the church and the community. She did three days a week when my brother was at high school, but moved for my dad's job and didn't really find work on such a level again: she's done hospital volunteering, part time exam invigilating, she looked after her elderly parents once a week, then both sets of grandkids. She got cancer a few years ago, so stopped volunteering, and now looks after my kids two days a week. She'd love anat home admi job, but probably only a day a week!

I'm in that age group, always been careful with money and now I only need to work a few hours to make enough to be comfortable, no one's going to work a shit job for shit money unless they have to, and I don't have to.
The government is used to having the upper hand, a large reserve of unemployed people in need of work means that wages and working conditions can be kept down, now the tables are turned and there is a labour shortage, if they want me to work they will have to make it worth my while 🤷

I think we have such a health problem in the UK that a lot are medical incapable. Be interesting to see what % fall into that category.

My parents retired in their early 50’s. My dad medically as he had MS and my Mother to be come his carer. My dad died at 57 and my mum didn’t go back to work. She worked from the age of 15 so she deserved it.