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More people willing to work to the age of 65, but no longer

Tuesday 18 October 2011

The number of people willing to work until they reach their 65th birthday has more than doubled to 44% over the past five years, according to research by national statistics office CBS.

In 2005, just one in five workers said they would work up to the official retirement age. According to analysts at ING, the switch is a result of the economic crisis, which has made it financially impossible for some people to take early retirement.

The government is currently finalising plans to increase the retirement age to at least 66. Only 14% of people interviewed for the CBS say they are willing to work past the age of 65.

The average retirement age in the Netherlands is currently around 62. This is due to the large number of early retirement schemes introduced in the 1980s in an effort to reduce youth unemployment.

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Readers' comments

My retirement age is 77! I think that people who retire at 62 miss a lot of life and are too old for their age.

By F.A.Boom | October 18, 2011 5:03 PM

I would say I'm resigned to working past 67, but not willing. There's a big difference in attitude between the two.

By H. | October 19, 2011 2:17 PM

While I'm all for reducing youth unemployment I'm not at all in support of what happened to me at 55, like many other long-term contract educators. We simply didn't have our contracts renewed after the onset of the economic crisis. This newest trend in Dutch education is to install a flex pool of minimally degreed and skilled younger instructors. Why? They'll work for peanuts. What happens to the rest of us? Look around you. We're now sweeping your floors. :(

By Disgruntled p.t. worker NOT yet in her golden years | October 20, 2011 10:32 AM

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