To think that constantly increasing retirement age will just cause an increase in health related benefit claims?

[PyongyangKipperbang]

I am early 50's and have worked in hospitality for years, a very active job.

I am feeling it now, I really am. Back, general fitness and plantar fasciitis. Longer to recover from physical exhaustion. On it goes.

Surely people in physical occupations like mine, nursing, trade, retail etc are going to need to stop far sooner than people in desk based occupations? When we physically cannot keep going (my retirement age is 67 currently) what do we do?! Our health issues are often caused (or at least, exacerbated) by our careers, and our skills are not those that would transfer into office based jobs. Even if they were, there simply are not enough jobs for us all on top of the people our age already doing them.

So what is the alternative? I cannot see any other way than to claim benefits until state pensions kick in. And dont forget that a lot of people in manual jobs dont have private pensions as these have always been traditionally lower paid jobs. Those of us born in the 60's/70's were sold the state pension dream, we didnt need to worry about private pensions. It only became clear that actually we did when it was too late for those of us on lower salaries to make enough provision for old age.

Yanbu. I suspect the increased retirement age is already increasing PIP / universal credit claims.

I really wish people wouldn't just shrug off office jobs- have you ever worked in an office with someone in theor later years who simply can't be arsed or are ineffective or perhaps their mind is slowing down or they can't keep up with the work?

But I do agree we can't keep raising the age because people will be too knackered for physical work and job-blocking the youth in office jobs.

YANBU, it's not the solution it's made out to be.

Of course it will. The people on here who always yell that the pension age should be increased to 75+ I’m sure all work in lovely office jobs from home.
I’m also in a job that is already causing me a lot of pain. And I’m not even quite 50 yet. I’m also self employed so while I have a small private pension I don’t benefit from employers contributions etc.

Yes.

when the government looked at increasing the pension age this was an expected outcome.

see for example this report from the office of budget responsibility

https://obr.uk/box/the-fiscal-impact-of-increases-in-the-state-pension-age/

Yes, primary school teaching at 66 won't be much fun.

You're comparing apples and oranges. I am talking about tradies who cannot physically build a wall, or a hairdresser who cannot stand for 10 hours a day any more. I am really struggling with the (av) 20,000 steps a day my job demands.

If an older employee cant be arsed, or struggles to keep up, well yes that is an issue but a different one to what I am discussing.

In an ideal world as we got older our jobs would shift so the focus was less on doing it ourselves and more on training and supervising the next generation. We'd be valued for our experience and knowledge rather than just our graft.
Unfortunately older people face the double whammy of being considered young enough to keep working but too old to be as relevant as the young.

And the other argument that sedentary jobs age you more anyway (yes, even if you exercise after work), so we shouldn't presume that either group will necessarily be healthy.
Obviously, once you're ill, it's easier to go back to a laptop job-which can possibly be done at home, making it much easier to deal with most illnesses/injuries (no travelling, more flexibility etc), but all jobs can be difficult.

Yes.
On top of that it increases the benefit bill at the other end of the age spectrum too because people working into their late sixties and beyond means fewer job opportunities for younger people, and we know rates of youth unemployment are huge.
For those younger people not on benefits and being supported solely by their parents... that's another way for a squeezed generation to be burdened.
It's a nightmare.

Depends - my 88 year old father in law has been feeding cattle today! Only stopped going a 40 hour week once he hit 80. I actually think there’s a lot to be said for continuing to work.

Having said that, @5128gap nailed it. The ideal is working together and being flexible. It works so well in farming. fIL is also sitting with 14 year old DS whilst he’s rolling so keeping an eye and passing on wisdom at the same time. Read the same for me. I was taught to plough by the old ploughman in the village. He had a great job in his 70’s sitting with us YFC teaching us!

This

The raising of the State Pension Age will cause some increase in claims for health benefits. As well as the health problems that individuals develop as a result of the type of job that they do as people get older the prevalence of some health conditions increases. There are also some people approaching SPA who having left work due to ill health find it very difficult to get back into the labour market once they have started to recover and who would have chosen not to claim a health benefit but do so as their income is so low.

What will happen is that people will be told to get a different kind of job at the end of their careers…

Because obviously there are just swathes of employers with more sedentary jobs just waiting to hand them out to people nearing retirement age…

Exactly, and that is what I am staring into the face of.
Going to the job centre once a fortnight to be told I must spend 35 hours a week trying get a job that I a) cannot do and b) will not get, seems like a massive waste of everyone's time.

I can't help wondering how much money it would save in job centre wages not to have anyone over the age of 60 "signing on" every week.

I teach fitness classes and clean old people’s houses. I can’t retire till 68. I’m just going to keep going and hope for the best. I do know a lot of very fit people in their 60s and 70s so hopefully I’ll be one of them. If not, I’m a bit screwed. An office job is completely unsuitable for me, and me for it. I worked in an office for about 18 months 25 years ago. I doubt I could get a job in one.

The State pension age is still far too low given the average life expectancy.
It should be, in actuarial terms, 70 or even 72.
The original age was 70 for both sexes when the State pension was established and, frankly, should never have been lowered.
Also, remember this is NOT the compulsory retirement age. There is nothing to prevent you retiring earlier. (or later) It is merely the age at which your State pension becomes payable.

Of course it will, specifically those in more physically active roles where they have picked up injury’s, also illness probability increases with age

But what happens to people when the state pension age is 72 and they are genuinely not able to work anymore when they are 70 but have no other money? Do we just let them end up on the streets and die? Or do they then just start claiming sick benefits? That is what this thread is about.

Yes, increasing the state pension age has increased the number of ill/disabled “workers”. A 64 year old is who is disabled is no longer in the pensioner category but now falls under workers.

Why do they not have money?

Paying in to a private pension has always been an option!

I’d quite happily keep working as long as I have good health, but who will
want me ? Where are all the jobs screaming out for people in their 50s, 60s and 70s?

A man local to us owned a small workshop and carried on going into work into his late 90s
His son who was in his late 60s was yearning to retire and sell the business wasn’t able to

My hubby has just finished working finally at 71 he has no health conditions. I’m 60 with a few chronic and disabling conditions. I have a small work based pension and can’t see me lasting more than a couple of years. I have no idea how I’m going to fund myself until 67

I agree. Im a 50something primary school teacher.

I can't imagine doing it when I'm 68!

My plan is to start tutoring but how many kids will really want to be tutored by someone the same age as their grandma!!