Who Can and Would Wish to Work Beyond 60?

Abstract

This chapter will address the third main aspect of working beyond 60. We now know much more about why we need to extend work-life, as well as how such an extension beyond 60 can be of benefi t to employers and employees alike. The question we must now address is: for which categories of worker exactly would working beyond age 60 be desirable? The issue was of course touched upon when in Chapter 4 we looked at the changes that occurred as the traditional industrial state evolved into the new service economy with its modified set of physical and mental work requirements. We shall examine in this chapter two important and interdependent aspects of this issue: first, the crucial need for diversity and with it the importance of fairness, and second, the all-important need for flexibility and informed choice.