IELTS essay: Should retirement age be increased?

Essay topic

Workers should retire at the age of 60 or 65. However, some people say that the retirement age should be increased and workers should be allowed to work as long as they want. Discuss.

Sample response

Employees dread the word retirement and that is hardly surprising. When they retire they lose a regular source of income. This loss of income might even make them feel worthless. However, this is no justification for increasing the retirement age.

The number of available jobs at any given time is limited. If aging employees are allowed to work as long as they want, youngsters will have a tough time finding jobs. Since youngsters are much more productive than aged people, this is not advisable. It is a well-known fact that a person’s productivity decreases as he/she ages. People aged 60 or above are likely to be plagued by many health problems. This could cause them to take days off work. They also lack many skills that jobs require. For example, many people in their sixties and seventies have difficulty using computers or internet.

In other words, there is no justification for retaining 60 plus employees when young and better-qualified people are ready to occupy their position. An organization that has a large number of young people on its payroll is likely to be more productive than an organization where the majority of workers are sixty plus.

On the flip side, people become wiser as they age. Aged employees may be able to take more mature decisions than their younger counterparts. They also have decades of experience behind them. If they stop working after they reach 60 or 65, it is sheer wastage of knowledge acquired over decades. Therefore, it is advisable that governments and companies design special employment schemes for older people. Their knowledge and experience could be used to train fresh employees. Retired people can also start something on their own. Since they have the financial resources and necessary contacts they should be able to do this.

In conclusion, increasing the retirement age is not practical because it will adversely affect an organization’s productivity. It will also increase unemployment. Instead of increasing the retirement age, governments need to design special employment schemes that fully utilize the knowledge and experience of retirees.

Manjusha Nambiar

Hi, I'm Manjusha. This is my blog where I give IELTS preparation tips.

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