Social Climate Tech News

Thu 17 03 2022
Image

Why do no older people work in stores anymore?

by bernt & torsten

We are living longer and longer and we have to work longer as it is the key to a better pension. It is not easy to get a job if you are already at the pension age in a European Country, people in their 50s are already getting bought out from their jobs and have a hard time finding a new one.

This article is about a walk in my neighbourhood in which I reflected on who works in the stores I was walking by, you can easily do this in your neighbourhood and take look at who are the people working at your local stores, in my neighbourhood you practically never see people over 50 anymore.

The majority of the people that worked in stores in my neighbourhood, were young women and men. The liquor store, supermarket, restaurants only had young people, the bookstore had older people working as it was a family-run business.

Statistics from Statistics Sweden show that shop assistants are on average 34 years old, ten years younger than the average for other common occupations.

Personally, I get so happy when I am met by an older staff member in stores, or something even more rare, older waitresses in restaurants, that I immediately make them my favourite eating out places.

Then of course I wonder where all the people who work in stores and are type 50+ go, do they get fired when they have turned 50?

Yes, what’s going on? Do people quit voluntarily, and if so, why? Or are it the shop and restaurant owners who are chasing away the elderly?

Are we customers so stupid that we only want to shop from young people?

If you have worked in a store and left due to age discrimination, feel free to contact us and tell us about your situation. Because I think this is strange.

Many people receive severance pay offers from employers that they can not resist.  All this continues, slightly adjusted upwards. I see on Facebook that people younger than me get offers to quit when they turn 62.

At the same time, the pension system we have today in some countries in Europe shows that we have to work to 68 to get a reasonable pension. This is due to us living longer, at the time the current pension system was introduced, they failed to adapt working life accordingly. For it to work, we need to work longer.

Instead of being retired, discriminated against or worn out, the 58-68-year-olds should be offered opportunities for skills development and adjustment, and counteracting age discrimination. There is not a bit of talk about how the labour market should be designed for all 60-plus people who must be in it.

Workplaces for all ages are the future.


  • This summer, the 60th anniversary Rolling Stones will tour and continue to be role models for a non-age-discriminating working life. 
  • The Supreme Court in many European countries seems to be a very good workplace for the elderly. Most of the justices work as long as they can. 
  • You either need to own a business, or be an actor, musican to be able to works as long as you want and can.

Share: