Some say that because many people are living much longer, the age at which people retire from work should be raised considerably. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Today, primarily due to the better living conditions and enhanced healthcare, people tend to live ever longer than in the past. Bearing this in mind, some people champion the idea that along with the longevity, the length of work of an average employee must be raised. However, I believe that this proposal is not worthy to be implemented.
The major argument against raising the retirement age is that many people over 60 are physically incapable of continuing their work. Although demographic trends suggest that nowadays life expectancy in majority of countries has grown to over 70 years, most retired senior citizens are prone to various diseases. Rheumatism and arthritis, for example, are a commonplace among both blue-collar and white-collar workers with 20 to 30 year experience. This state of decrepitude might typically hinder the work productivity if employees were required to keep on working even after their 60s.
Another strong point is the necessity for a workforce to be updated with newer, younger and more energetic employees. As the Earth’s population has mushroomed, there are millions of erudite and enthusiastic graduates seeking an employment in the job market. If the duration of the elderly’s work were prolonged, most of their younger counterparts would be left unemployed. Moreover, it might also affect the progress of an entire company since the younger workers tend to be more creative and ambitious than the old. After raising the age at which people are retired, the number of younger members of staff would noticeably shrink.
Following this look, it is safe to say that extending the duration of work would have negative repercussions both for the employees and their employers.