Cracking down on over 60s

Those who are jobless and over-60 are being targeted by the Government in a welfare crackdown to attempt to get them back to work.

It is believed that there are thousands of people in this situation who are not looking for jobs but who are just below retirement age and claiming benefits.

The plan is to change the current law to accommodate the over-60s who in future will have to attend interviews at Jobcentres. This has raised fears about the kind of work that will be offered as it is believed that menial work and some manual labour jobs will be the only positions available. It is felt that many employers will not be too happy about employing those over 60 in better paid jobs because they will leave to collect their pension within a short space of time. However, the Government feels that there are large numbers of over 50s and over 60s who want to carry on working, and therefore, for equality purposes, it is only fair they get the same training and work opportunities as everyone else.

Although it is generally felt that over 60s should be able to continue to work if they want to, they should not be forced to take any job offered with the threat of their benefits being withdrawn if they refuse.

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