At the time of writing in late June 2020, there has been massive impact on the economy and employment from the COVID-19 pandemic. Over recent months, during the pandemic, I wrote the following essay on the future of work and its implications for retirement. It is a chapter in an international book  Who Wants to Retire, and Who can Afford to Retire.

I came to the conclusion from my extensive investigations that working lives in coming decades will be inherently unpredictable and we really can’t continue with current models of working lives leading up to a retirement at a fixed age determined by public policy and access to pension benefits. You might be able to go on and on in your job to your dying days, especially if you enjoy it, but it is highly likely that your work and employment will undergo major transformation with new technology and work organisation. This will militate against the extended working life you might have wanted and which policy might demand. And totally unforeseen shocks like COVID 19 might also affect your working life. I was surprised by my own conclusion as to what we need to cope with this transition in working lives in train.

The essay, published on line, is entitled – The end of the retirement age – how the new world of work is transforming the old work of retirement:

 https://www.intechopen.com/online-first/the-end-of-the-retirement-age-how-the-new-world-of-work-is-transforming-the-old-world-of-retirement