Older workers hold the key to rebuilding Britain’s economy

But what if we saw it instead as one of our greatest untapped resources? Older people have a lifetime of experience, reliability, and skill - yet too often they’re made to feel invisible, as though their contribution no longer matters.

I am often confronted with just how long I’ve been working. My phone regularly pings on a Monday night when I pop up on another Call My Bluff repeat!

I’m impressed by the younger me on the screen. But I’m aware that she’s lacking the perspective and the experience that I’ve built up in the years since those 1980s recordings.

I’m not alone in that. There are many like me with much to offer the workplace, the economy, and the Chancellor as she prepares her Budget.

Across the country, people in their sixties and seventies are still doing extraordinary things. They’re running small businesses, mentoring younger colleagues, volunteering in their communities, and caring for loved ones. They’re part of the social glue that keeps Britain functioning, and we’d notice very quickly if that stopped.

But for many, later life is harder than it should be. Instead of being rewarded for decades of contribution, too many find themselves burdened with new responsibilities. First, they’re relied on for grandparenting duties. Then they’re caring for elderly parents. And later, for an ailing spouse.

That quiet cycle of care can be emotionally and financially exhausting - especially for women, who are more likely to step into those roles and end up with smaller pensions as a result.

Add to that the rising cost of living, long NHS waiting lists, and the spiralling cost of private care or carers, and it’s easy to see why so many older people feel under strain. A live-in carer can cost £1,800 a week; a care home, even more. This is not the gentle retirement that most people imagine.

And yet, despite all that, millions still want to keep contributing. They want to work part-time, to mentor, to share their expertise and stay connected. What they need is the chance to do so.

Workplaces have begun to talk about diversity and inclusion, but age is still the last acceptable prejudice. Too many employers assume that experience means inflexibility or that older workers are somehow less capable. The truth is the opposite. They bring qualities no business or organisation can afford to lose: perspective, steadiness, and judgment.

People aged 65 and over now make up around a third of the UK electorate. That’s a powerful voice, and one that deserves to be heard. Protecting the state pension, giving fairer tax treatment to pensioners, and encouraging employers to recognise the value of older workers aren’t just “age issues” - they’re issues of national importance.

Later life should be a time to blossom: to live with purpose, confidence and connection. If we create a society that values experience rather than sidelining it, we all benefit. After all, none of us stays young forever.

Older people aren’t the past; they’re an essential part of Britain’s present and future. It’s time we gave them the respect, opportunity and security they’ve more than earned.

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Sue Cook is a broadcaster and the former presenter of Crimewatch.

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