Until what age do you think people should be encouraged to remain in paid employment? In some countries the average worker is obliged to retire at the age of 50, while in others people can work until they are 65 or 70. The following are opinions on whether there should be a mandatory retirement age. Read them carefully and write an article of NO LESS THAN 300 words, in which you should:
Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization and language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks.
Write your article on ANSWER SHEET FOUR.
Saying Yes
Saying No
On Mandatory Retirement Age
People in the debate are arguing about whether there should be a mandatory retirement age. Some people believe that old people with old-fashioned knowledge should be prevented from working so as to leave employment chances to the youth, while others consider it unfair and discriminatory to force the elderly out of work especially when they still need the money to make a living. Personally, I believe there should not be a mandatory retirement age.
To start with, it is apparent that many people in their sixties or seventies nowadays are still physically and mentally capable with living standards getting improved at an accelerated speed. And based on the fact that lifespan is increasing, people who regard their work as an inseparable part of their life would find it pretty dull and frustrating to be forced to spend extra years on something idle, possibly incurring serious mental illnesses. For these people’s own sake, it is sensible not to set a specific age for retirement.
Furthermore, it is widely acknowledged these days that age is not necessarily an indicator of a man’s competence and people of all ages, genders and races should be given equal opportunities in the job market. In view of this, mandatory retirement age violates the principle of equal treatment and given that mandatory retirement age is regulated it would be absurd to advocate abolition of discrimination in terms of age, gender, and race in the job market.
Admittedly, there is evidence that physical capabilities and reaction times are deteriorating with age. But most old people remain experienced and knowledgeable workers with maturity and loyalty and can create many more profits than young people in many professions.
To sum up, the government should not impose a mandatory retirement age on the old. On the contrary, the elderly ought to be encouraged to remain at their posts especially under circumstances that there is a workforce shortage crisis. Possibly an age can be set as a reference for the elderly to choose whether to stop working or not.