Ageing nation 'is not a crisis'
courtesy of BBC

Scotland's ageing population does not represent a "crisis", according to a Holyrood think tank.

A year-long study by the Scottish Parliament's Futures Forum says the nation can afford to grow old, if it rethinks its approach to retirement.

The long-term trends show that Scotland has a shrinking, ageing population.

But the forum, headed by Lord Sutherland, believes the ageing crisis is a myth and an older population does not represent an economic time bomb.

Lord Sutherland, who wrote the blueprint for elderly care, has concluded that an older population need not cost the nation more but that working patterns for older people should become more flexible.

"Perhaps the word crisis comes from the associated belief that an older population will cripple the economy and be a drain on health and other public services," he said.

"However this need not be the case. An awful lot of people are peeling out of the workforce at 50, burned out.

"That shouldn't happen. There's something wrong with the way that we're operating in society if that's the case.

"If, however, we begin to modulate the pattern of working so that people are perhaps working less in the currently final years of working life, that may encourage them and make it possible for them to continue for a longer period to contribute."

The report recommends the introduction of "phased" retirement though shorter hours, job shares and increased leave, as well as mentoring schemes allowing skills to be passed down the generations.

It also urges free 'financial MoTs' at key life stages, and the founding of a National Ageing Forum to monitor strategies.

A Scottish Executive spokesman claimed the report matched much of its own thinking on ageing.

Public consultation

"This is an interesting document and contains a number of ideas for all of us who are involved in the issues of ageing in Scotland," he added.

"These have been developed during our extensive public consultation and evidence gathering exercise last year and we will be publishing these and the outcomes of those exercises as soon as possible."

According to the report, the number of people of working age is projected to fall from 3.18m in 2004 to 2.96m in 2031, with total employment expected to reach 2.57m by 2014 - compared to 2.3m in 1981.

The number of people of pensionable age in employment in Scotland has gone up by 8%, and the Department of Work and Pensions estimates more than 90% of the over-60s would be happy to continue working up to 70.