An excellent analysis Malcolm and a subject, which should enjoy more debate. Despite statements, by companies about being "an equal opportunity employer" discrimination still exists for aged and would-be employees. Many of the older generation, myself included, have invested in university education in our advanced years, in order to keep working. There are many computer literate boomers just waiting in the wings to use their newly earned skills, just to keep ahead of rising living costs. Not everyone is wrapped in a cloak of superannuation and many are doing it tough. What is required now is for your thoughts to reach the public domain and to allow common sense to take over.

Yes, a great idea for folk to work as long as they want, & even perhaps need to, but we have one minor problem, too many of the boomers, in the income bracket you say are most likely to need to work, are just not capable of doing so. This is also the skill area where we are most in need.

We have plenty of young ones who can push a pen, & in fact, many who expected to be pushing pens are flipping burgers. Many of the smarter tradies moved into pen pushing years ago, & can not go back on the tools, as their aging bodies can't handle it.

Yes I know that today we seem to need 3 pen pushers, [oh & a public servant] to oversee every one productive worker, but the balance is getting a long way out.

I recently caught a couple of aging self employed tradie mates discussing liniments at a bar b que. I suggested that there should be something more interesting they could talk about. The younger one, probably not quite 60 answered, "when you get up in the morning, & know you've got to walk across to the shed in a few minutes, the most important thing on earth is how well the liniment you used last night worked". I doubt either of them will make it to 65 still working the tools, let alone anything past that.

So Malcolm you are going to have to find some kids for these old blokes to teach their trades to, because teaching is all many are good for.

Let the old blokes go back that caravan, while they still can. Like me, many are busy learning a new skill. How to back that van, the trucky way, using the rear view mirrors. Not because we want to look smart, but because we can't get our necks to work well enough to look over our shoulders any more. Back on the tools, get real.

The boomers will work as long as they want to. They've always done what they wanted anyway.

The problem is when they leave work without getting a second or third opinion re how much money they need to retire. Underestimating that is a dire mistake.

When they find they have to go back to work, they run in to the wall of age discrimination - mainly young female recruiters who think 40 is 'past it'. They're also not tough enough to stand up to employers.

I agree with Hasbeen. Most 60 plus won't go back on the tools. The body just can't take 40 or 50 years of tough work. Ditto working on the line in factories. Part time is the way to go but also some form of remedial physio through work and dare I say it, some form of recognition re mentoring to help them pass on their trade. You can't buy skills. They have to be learnt.

Those of us living under the "grey ceiling" are looking forward to a workplace where all the power roles are not hogged by boomers.
Rather than holding back career progress for another decade...how about starting your own businesses? Flexible hours, chance to impart leadership...How about boomer small business grants to assist the process?
The boomers deserve a chance for meaningful work and an end to their careers...the rest of us deserve a chance to escape the conservative authority that has stifled the sub-boomer generations!
Regressive economics, growing censorship, greed worship and anti-progress are all signs of the boomer bulge. Can we avoid a Japan type social crisis?

The advantage the older gentlemen have is being able to live on the pension and tour AU at the same time. It's easy for most because they have never had the barrow load of wages to start with. Everything was done by your means, and not instantly with your credit card.
I will stay as is, and watch the sunshine pass overhead.

Ozandy "how about starting your own businesses? Flexible hours,".

Where did you get that Idea from? Most people who run small businesses these days are run ragged and don't even get time for a holiday.

David

The problem is that the standard of work that recently qualified tradesmen and Third World workers are able to achieve is so far below what's customarily acceptable that I can only see things getting worse.
If it's not pine, blueboard and gyprock then forget it, they can't cope...and they barely cope with the basic construction methods as it is, you want to cry when you see some of the work they do.
This isn't just my cranky old generational thesis either, talk to any tradie over 40 and it's the same story, most of the younger generations are not up to the task, they haven't received a proper education, they have no respect for their elders, they have no 'Get up and Go".
There is also the fact that there are simply less of them to go around because my generation was duped into delaying or rejecting child rearing.
We can't fill the gaps with foreigners and expect good results, they come trained to a different standard, they have ingrained bad habits that are impossible to break, as adults they can't be "ridden" like a youngster can in order to mould good work practices from an early age. Due to machismo and stubbornness they won't even take "constructive" criticism, they'll get angry, sulk, go slow or just disappear altogether, the Chinese are notorious for this type of behaviour, they're so macho that they typically won't take any instruction from Australians without flying off the handle.

The other point I neglected to mention is that immigrant parents, particularly Asians will work every hour god sends as tilers or plasterers or cleaners to ensure that their kids DON'T end up having to do the same type of work, there's no generational continuity there either, all we'll get down the track is another shortage of workers and legions of creaky, stooped old Asian men trundling off to work at 70.

We could all retire at 65 & live a reasonable life if Governments didn't squander our pension funds on illegals & overpay tens of thousands of public servants. There's plenty money it just doesn't get distributed fairly.
Labor in particular has a lot to answer for in that direction.

Lets solve the problem, instead of putting a band-aid on it...

Flipping the pyramid is an attempt to patch the fundamental problem... too few children! An aging population was caused by the Baby boomers failing to reproduce themselves... Even now, for every 2 adults, there are only 1.8 children being born!

We are slowly suiciding... not just economically, but literally!

We need 'natalist' policies. We need to have more children in Australia.

Why aren't we having enough?

1: Men don't want to become husbands/fathers anymore. Every city building has scores of 30ish professional, attractive single women, unable to get a man to say "marry me" Feminism, especially the dodgy the divorce courts have made men realise that fatherhood is stupid. Make marrige fair, and men will begin to marry again.

2: Recognise that children cost money. Wealthy parents spend big on their kids... lost wages (wife at home/part-time), school fees, violyn etc etc. Yet if you are a professional couple, you get almost nothing from the government to help with these costs. Meanwhile, women on welfare are bribed to more kids than they can look after.

Stop handing out money to poor people to have kids, and instead help professionals have the kids they want... make kids reduce your tax, instead of means-tested payments.

Help professionals have the kids they want, and what is stopping them having kids now.
If we did not have immigration we would not have the workforce needed here and now. 190,000 advertised jobs in AU as of 5.3.12
Indi ., what you need is to practice living on the pension so when the time comes it won't be a shock. If i got the bucket loads of money they pay these days, i would be stacking it high,

Professionals amd working parents have too few children because each kid costs too much.

It's not that they are poor, it is that every child means a big sacrifice... reducing the funds available for the other children and enjoying life.

There is a cross-over point where if you are on welfare, each kid massively increases your disposable income... (lets call it a 'profit' for each kid) and as your income goes up, each extra kid reduces that profit. Soon it becomes a loss and eventurally a massive loss.

It is not 'nice' to talk about children interms of profit, but under all the emotional layers, parents make the decision if they can 'afford' another kid, or will the sacrifices be too great.

For those on welfare, having lots of kids and never marrying maximises your income... for workers and professionals, each extra kid is a massive loss below below they are comfortable with...

While they really can, they feel that the sacrifices are too great, they feel that they can't 'afford' more kids.

The worst tragedy is that many men realise this and the dangers of divore for dads, and make the rational (but tragic) decision never to marry and never to have kids at all! With a solid income they can get all the female companionship you want without the costs. Leaving women missing out

Playing the devli's advocate, the subtext here is that the boomers are going to hang around for a long time - even if they go part time.

How is this going to effect youth unemployment? While I realise that younger people don't often enter orgs at the senior or executive level, there are places such as line manufacturing where you need a vacancy before you can employ someone.

I don't want to start a generational war but the boomers do lay themselves open to being not only cultural imperialists re hogging the airwaves and TV but also hogging the jobs.

Maybe here not only for a good time but also a bloody long time!

Was Mr Howard right to open the non compulsory retirement. If we are living with work rules with no age limit. These people are quite entitled to remain in the best jobs.
Some are born to work and some are happy to retire, all depends on how hard you have had your working life.
So it is going to be hard to dislodge a workaholic from the top possy, under 90 years of age.