01 February 2007
The majority of UK workers plan to retire before the current
state retirement age of 65, according to research from Aon
Consulting.
The research showed that the average planned retirement age was
in fact just under 63 years, 63.1 for men and 62.1 for women.
Geographically, Newcastle (52%) had the lowest number of
respondents expecting to retire before 65 with those in Manchester
topping the poll (59%).
The research, which surveyed 1,204 working adults, will come as
a blow to the government, which is planning to raise the state
retirement age to 68. Among factors influencing when people aim to
retire, the survey showed that although some are influenced by
government policy (14%) and their employer's decision (12%), most
say that their retirement age will be determined by their state of
health and ability to carry out the job (51%).
Despite growing media concern about pensioner poverty, only just
over a third (35%) say that their retirement age will be determined
by how much they have in their pension scheme. Nearly one in five
people (19%) said that their retirement age was determined by their
spouse/partner, although this was more likely to be mentioned by
women (24%) and those working part-time (23%).
When asked about their attitude to working after the official
retirement age, more than half (53%) said that if they needed to,
they would carry on working after the state retirement age just to
increase their pension. However, nearly a quarter (22%) were
adamant that they would not carry on work after 65. Respondents in
Leeds (27%) were the most adamant in the UK that they would not
work past retirement age.
