Today the Government closes its evidence gathering for the review of the Default Retirement Age (DRA) and commenting on the dossier of evidence, Chris Ball, TAEN chief executive, said: "Mandatory retirement is utterly unnecessary and causes untold damage to Britain's economy and the lives of people forced out of work when they are most vulnerable.
"By 2065 Britain's oldest person will be the first to reach 120. She is out there somewhere right now and if her employer is foolish enough to be applying the DRA, she will have just retired."
TAEN's submission includes personal testimonies of people forced out of work since the Default Retirement Age was enacted through the Age Regulations 2006. They show individuals struggling as they lose jobs they would have been happy to continue to do, but instead they have been forced to live on a pension.
Ball added: "People are living longer, even into their 100s, and yet we are pushing them out of the door at the comparatively youthful age of 65. It makes no sense.
"Our approach should be ‘with so much life in front of us, 65 is the new 40'. Why would anyone of 65 who is in good health and enjoying their job, want to retire and suffer a drop in income?
"Employers are beginning to realise that older workers can make the difference between success and failure. They should be encouraged to welcome older workers, help them stay in work and not to push them out of the door."
