Economically inactive people……

[Watermelonnice]

AIBU to think that the government needs to clarify who they mean when they say that they want to reduce the number of people who are economically inactive?

And to think they need to differentiate between the reasons for economic inactivity, including providing numbers who fall into each category.

It’s lazy to make this a headline without taking into account the different reasons and specifying who they mean.

Presumably they mean people who are unemployed, but economically inactive could include students, carers, disabled people, stay at home parents and those who have retired early.

Some will be reliant on the state for support but many will be completely self reliant and not claiming a thing from the government.

Why aren’t the government clearer on who they mean? Do they think they’ll persuade people who have retired early and others who have enough income without claiming any benefits to restart work?

I get what you mean but it just sounds horrible

That's the technical definition of economic inactivity you're totally correct.

But the movement of money regardless of its source definitely contributes to a countries economy.

The term economically inactive is simply unhelpful and bunches together a large number of people with very different circumstances for political or media point scoring. There's a huge difference between a disabled person,drug dealer and someone rich enough not to work who would all fall under that umbrella term from the governments point of view.

There are a lot of people claiming they have mental health issues and cannot work.

No they have been assessed as having limited capability to work.

I dream of being economically inactive. Having enough money not to work but not old enough to retire.

I think we all know who they mean but saying “lazy chavs” is not politically correct.

I agree. You are not going to get people who have retired early by choice back into the workforce if they don't want to be.

I encourage you to go and volunteer with those people they aren't as numerous as you think. I used to hold that prejudice because my son is autistic and works until I volunteered at a local charity and realised that the myth of the latest iphone and brand new car simply isn't true.

I've got a NEET here at home. Fully funded by me, not on benefits. Can't find any job, noone wants to employ a teen without experience, so idk who will employ someone ill or disabled either.

Yes, DH and I retired early and claim our private pensions but also have a property portfolio which we pay tax on. Government can't make us go back to work.

Retired people still pay income tax though.

We were holed up in our homes not spending because we were told to stay at home. I'd have loved to have been allowed to go on the two planned holidays that were cancelled and do all the things we normally did. You make it sound like it was a choice.

Sorry it wasn't meant as a personal attack on anyone just that the government knew those further down the economic ladder were more likely to spend money out of nesseceity or other reasons.

I was exactly the same as you obeying the rules holed up in my home too

I feel enraged by this. I’ve suffered my whole life with debilitating OCD and anxiety, but every weekday I get up at 5.30am, get to work for 7.30am, work until 3.30pm, stay for a pointless meeting and get home around 5pm. I earn every penny of my money and wish I got to only contribute to the economy by spending, but the one time I was out of work, I hadn’t made sufficient NI contributions to receive any benefits like job seekers, so had no choice but to struggle and look for another job. It took about 6 months and my husband supported me (just and by using a credit card and going into debt).

I hate this country. I hate my job. I hate it all so much, and all the people who think that I’m having a whale of a time earning my money, that I try not to spend hardly anything all year. I live frugally. And then I employ the services of American Airlines to take me to the US for the summer (hello from FL) and I buy all the clothes, shoes, coffee creamer, tech, jewellery and whatever else I like from the States, contributing to their economy, going out for all the meals I’ve missed out on in the UK. 6 glorious weeks spending my hard earned dollars $$$$$, and Every. Single. penny of my savings. Not all on stuff, but on meals and days out and car rental etc.
Then I come home to the UK and start all over again.

Screw the UK economy. I couldn’t care less anymore. Both DH and I will retire early with a lump sum in the same year and spend 6 months a year in the states rather than 6 weeks.

DH and 6 of our friends have all taken voluntary severance or voluntary redundancy over the last couple of years, I had already retired early at 55. We were all between 55 and 60. We all took our pensions and I have another friend who is going to take her pension early later this year. Apart from 2 they were all higher rate tax payers. Almost all pay tax on their workplace pensions and all mortgage free.

@bindin I think hell would freeze over before any of us returned to paid employment, we just don’t need to for financial reasons. Five of us do voluntary work.

@NaicePeachJoker we just bought a Motorhome and our friend bought a small yacht. In the first few years of retirement better off pensioners often spend a lot of money. DH and a few of our friends workplaces would have gone to compulsory redundancies eventually, my old workplace will probably be doing this soon as they need to shed 20% of their staff. Better us leaving than younger staff with mortgages and small children.

If you don’t work, you don’t produce anything. If you don’t produce anything, you are not adding anything to the economy.

Taking the emotion out of it, that’s how money and the economy works.

If you don’t work and let’s say your neighbour has to cut back and give you money every month, that’s not adding anything to the economy. You’re just spending what your neighbour would have spent. If you earn your own money and spend it, that’s where value is added.

You are not being unreasonable.

The mass abuse of the system is causing the social contract to break down. Net contributors are basically saying f this system. Those abusing the system, aka, Turkeys voting for Xmas will find out the hard way once they have spent other people money.

If you don’t work and let’s say your neighbour has to cut back and give you money every month, that’s not adding anything to the economy

What on earth do you mean? Why would a neighbour give you money?

Who is to say the neighbour would have spent their money, they might save it.

A person who has retired early, is not working and is living on their private pensions and savings is spending what they've earned.

You need to wake up if you don't think people are playing the system.
It will get worse until Labour are kicked out as well as people realise due to an unfair tax system and high cost of living it doesn't pay to work.

Meanwhile the government are throwing millions of pounds down the drain every day housing and feeding illegal immigrants.
If you go to a doctor tomorrow and say you are stressed or suicidal you will be signed off work. And I say well done and good luck to them

i have a friend who retired at 55 on a generous final salary and earns more than I do. I work full time and so pay national insurance. She does not.
Somehow this does not seem fair.

I love the way so many posters are replying to my post that they retired early because they are rich. That's great but it's not the majority....this is why these debates are pointless & everyone gets defensive or wants to blame someone else.

The truth is we all need to pay more tax from the poorest to the richest but no government would dare suggest it. That tax also needs to be spent wisely and not given to private companies.

Higher earners on PAYE here pay similar taxes to other European countries. It's the middle & lower earners who don't but the issue is we spend more on housing, utilities etc so lower earners don't have the capacity to pay more tax. Making housing the main economic driver has fucked up so many things.

Very odd to be trying to push people that have retired early back into work

as if they have any chance of that

and also as if they’ve been economically inactive they’ve clearly been very economically active to abv even able to save so much so young
what a load of shite

Because no doubt she’s paid into a pension for years that’s why she’s in that position
nobody has given her anything

and also as if they’ve been economically inactive they’ve clearly been very economically active to abv even able to save so much so young

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