Asking the average American when he or she plans to retire may bring strikingly different answers depending on if the question was asked today or 20 years ago. In fact, on average, retirees in the United States stop working at the age of 61. This demonstrates a considerable increase from the 2003 figure of 59. In 1993, the average retirement age was 57. Still, even in cases where someone does not wish to retire, he or she could be forced out of the job as a result of age-related workplace discrimination.
A recent poll completed in January showed that 49 percent of individuals across Florida and the rest of the nation did not believe they could retire until they reached the age of 66. For some of that 49 percent, the age was even older. Finally, 10 percent of people claimed that they did not have any plans to retire at all.
The 1967 Age Discrimination in Employment Act is intended to protect elderly workers from various forms of workplace discrimination as a result of their age. The act is intended to protect specifically those employees who are 40 years of age or older, exempting police officers and firefighters, who are not protected by the act. In 2012 alone, the EEOC received a total of 22,857 age discrimination complaints. This represents a significant rise from the 19,921 that were received 10 years previous.
Ultimately, age-related workplace discrimination does exist. With the average retirement age rising, it seems that the problem will only worsen for seniors who want to keep earning a paycheck. That said, any worker in Florida who has suffered a negative workplace consequence because of his or her age can fight for justice. Under the Federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act, workers can seek legal remedies for being impacted by such discrimination.
Source: indianagazette.com, Average retirement age creeping ever higher, Abby Ellin, Feb 2, 2014