For an array of reasons, including ill health, hundreds of thousands of older workers left their jobs during and after the societal disruptions of COVID-19, contributing to a chronic labour shortage that forecasters predict will drag on Britain’s economic performance for years.
The relative wealth of many of the early retirees poses a challenge for finance minister Jeremy Hunt, who has said Britain needs them to leave “the golf course”. Hunt is considering policies to encourage them back in the UK’s March 15 budget.
But with no mortgage to pay, and enjoying a new lifestyle in the English countryside, both Liz, a 58-year-old former tech marketing executive, and Ian, a 57-year-old ex-fund manager, have spurned consultancy offers from their old employers.
“Nothing would ever entice me to go back to any kind of work,” said Liz, who tried a temporary job invigilating exams at a local school but soon resented the intrusion into her time.
Double-digit…
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