There is one important piece you have missed, older workers; no matter how much they want to work, are regularly refused the chance. I tried for two years to get work, the recruiters recommended that I dye my hair, and lie about my age; to get hired. >:(
I chose a different route, I went to work for ME doing engineering consulting. I even went to a job I had been refused, to repair the mess the engineer they hired instead of me, made of a simple job because he did not have the experience.
You definitely have a point that this too is a big issue, only thing is that I believe that that is a manifestation of a symptom of a more larger problem, which is the way we/global society in general has come to perceive and interact with people getting older, to which the point I was making was that it starts with the “fixation towards an arbitrary age limit set by law”, which as you point makes it nowadays easier for companies to discriminate against those nearing that age, because the law(s) already do that and gives them a certain validation for that practice “because why should I hire you and invest resources in you, if you’re just going to retire in a few years down the line?”.
I’m glad to read that you didn’t let your government or companies tell you that you need to quit the workforce! Sad thing is that you’re in the minority and most people don’t have your courage to keep fighting on.
Fight or starve, LOL! I needed to work, and had zero job offers.
Consulting has been fun, it is challenging, and totally removed from office politics*!
:DHa! That situation indeed is a powerful driver for coming with creative solutions in life :)
Because of the new company I’m founding, I’m not actively consulting (for) clients anymore, but yes, I’m very glad that I first chose that path because it is indeed fun work!
You get a wide variety of exposure, and see the worst problems in sequence. Normal problems are tame after that, LOL!
:)