to think the whole idea of retirement is going to become unrealistic

[worksmartandfast]

I am sad writing this as I think it is a truely nice idea that people get to take some time out to enjoy life but my practical head says it can't continue. When the age was set to retire that was a policy made for a totally different era, people started work at 15 and died at 65 in general society has completely changed since then. It was never envisaged that education would last so long for children/young people it is really an accident of history that for the last decades it has been possible to effectively stop working in their early 60s/late 50s despite being perfectly capable adults and spend potentially 15/20 years living a life of pure leisure. While I'm sure this idea will be unpopular in reality I can't see how in a world with ever better medical care increasing life expentancy it can be expected that it will be possible for it to be the norm that most people can spend the final quater of their lives retired even if they are perfectly able to work. Aibu?

So, an entirely unhelpful and unrepresentative example.

@Schoolchoicesucks they're Healthy Life Expectancy figures rather than Life expectancy.

www.lancashire.gov.uk/lancashire-insight/health-and-care/health/health-inequalities/healthy-life-expectancy/

@Sandcastles24 oh you are correct paying in for 40 years does not cover decades of retirement neither does my own 51 years of NICs- yep NICs NOT TAX tax is something I have paid for nearly 52 years and out of that I help support working age benefits some that were not even available to me when I needed them, if you are going to make a statement about what my generation expect from their contributions at least get the contributions correct NIC's NOT TAX

@Dishwashersaurous From the ONS Life expectancy at birth in the UK in 2016 to 2018 was 79.3 years for males and 82.9 years for females

It's not 84 and no where near that for men.

Retirement age used to be 60 and 65 for women and men respectively.

12 years retirement is hardly very long after around 49 years of work, assume they started at 18.

There is also the very real fact that whilst folk are living longer, they also are suffering from a much wider range of health issues, i particularly think of a poor woman in her 20s who was run over by a lorry driver who had poor eye sight, he was in his 60s, she never had the chance to live a long happy life.

Too many jobs require decent physical and mental health and unfortunately many cannot reach it in their 60s.

The government has just increased retirement age to 68 seven years earlier than previously stated.

I think OP is a shill.

I am tbh pretty sceptical of all these posts where people are so desperate to sacrifice their entitlements. Never met a human in real life who was eager to condemn themselves and their children to destitution for the sake of the rich twats who own this country. 😂Yes sir! Let me work til I'm dead sir! Please sir! Take the food out of my mouth sir! It's for the best sir!

Oh yes there are plenty willing to do this for other people, it either doesn't affect them or they have jobs that involve little real work and have large inheritances waiting.

Just heard a Govt minister try and wriggle out after saying that he thought the solution to labour shortages was for folk to work harder and longer hours..... doubtless dreamt that up at a working drinks and snacks party.

Retirement unrealistic

A few things have changed in the last few years

Most employers have to offer their employees the option to join a company pension & there is automatic enrolment. However, the employee can opt out.

People no longer have to buy an annuity

There is no compulsory retirement age, so if you can prove that you can do the job & the company still wants to employ you, you do not have to retire at state pension age.

People can apply for flexible working too like part time, work from home or a mix of working or volunteering

This is bang on. The poor, who get knackered from working for years in warehouses, caring for the elderly and cleaning will be made to jump through Universal credit style hoops to prove they are eligible for their Post 68 Non-Work Allowance while the middle class and wealthy carry on retiring at 60 with their fat pensions and investments.