With rising life expectancy and longer working lives, the state pension age in the UK is planned to increase, with proposals for it to reach 68 in the coming decades. While this is often justified as necessary for financial sustainability and an ageing population, it ignores an important fact: systemic ageism among employers, which makes it unlikely for older job applicants to secure work. In my view, reducing the state pension age to 60 would not only address this issue but also create a fairer and more compassionate society.
For many people over 60, finding a job is often impossible. Age discrimination is rampant among employers and ingrained in workplace culture. Employers tend to prefer younger candidates, assuming them to be more adaptable, less costly or more energetic. Even when older job applicants are willing to retrain or take on new roles, their efforts often go unrecognised.
Some argue that retraining programs could help older job applicants become “job-ready” or employable. However, in reality, such initiatives are rare—possibly non-existent in the UK—and seldom lead to meaningful employment. By lowering the pension age, society could acknowledge the barriers faced by older workers and provide them with a dignified exit from the workforce when their job prospects are artificially limited due to ageism.
Also, many older job applicants face health issues or physical limitations that hinder job searching or make full-time employment difficult, even if they are fortunate enough to secure a job. Lowering the pension age to 60 would help address these challenges.
The way I see it, reducing the pension age would bring significant societal benefits. For instance, it would create opportunities for younger jobseekers by freeing up jobs currently held by older employees, helping to tackle youth unemployment. The years between 60 and 70 should be a time to enjoy life, spend time with family and engage in community activities—not a race to meet the demands of a job market that often devalues their labour.
Many older people are also carers, whether for aging parents, spouses or grandchildren. Lowering the pension age would give these carers the financial security to focus on this vital role in society.
Critics would argue that lowering the pension age would burden public finances. This is a valid concern, but one solution could be to allow partial pensions from the age of 60, coupled with part-time work. Such an approach could ease the financial impact while still supporting those who need it most.
Lowering the pension age would also send a powerful message about the value of older people in society. While the ideal solution would be to eradicate ageism through stronger laws, the reality is that existing legislation in the UK has failed to achieve this because, to be frank, it is unenforceable.
Reducing the state pension age to 60 would not only provide fairness and dignity to millions but also reflect a society that values all people, regardless of age.
