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Employers pushing staff into retirement?
18 February 2008 12:00
A minority of firms continue to force employees into early retirement, according to a new study, but Britons still do not want the statutory retirement age to be raised.
Of the three in five workers who retired early last year, one in five did so under duress from their employer, Axa's poll found, although age discrimination legislation has had some effect, as this was down from over a quarter in 2006.
Moreover, nearly half of all Britons are likely to retire early, compared to an international average of just one in three, while almost half of all current workers and retirees alike are opposed to government plans to increase the national retirement age.
Interestingly, Axa's survey also revealed that whereas over half of all existing employees expect to still be working in retirement, the reality is that only one in nine retirees go on to obtain a second job.
Head of pensions policy Steve Folkard advised employees approaching retirement to know their legal rights and exercise them if necessary, but he also noted the scale of opposition among many people to the thought of extending their careers.
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