I THINK federal Treasurer Joe Hockey should do some homework before he talks about raising the pension age to 70.
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I am now 65 and if I had a dollar for every job I have applied for here in Tamworth without any success I would be a wealthy man.
The government tells us that mature-age workers are in great demand, but employers here in Tamworth (including federal government departments) do not seem to agree.
I have applied for many, many jobs over the past 12 months without success.
I am employable.
I am healthy, well-presented, willing and able to learn new skills, computer-literate and reliable, but all this is overshadowed by one thing.
I am 65 years old and employers do not want to employ mature-age workers.
If you have worked for an employer for many years, you have a good chance of keeping your job past 60 years of age.
But when you hit your 60s, some employers don’t want you anymore and you find yourself looking for another job.
But who in Tamworth wants to employ someone in their 60s?
If they are there, I can’t find them.
So, Mr Hockey, all you are going to achieve is stop people from going onto the pension, but the unemployment lines and payments are going to get bigger and people will suffer longer.
Peter Blom
Loomberah