Through the employment agency Actief 65-plus, Marie Anne ended up at a pharmacy in her hometown of Bergen. She now drives through the region as a part-time medicine deliverer half a day a week to deliver medicine. She is also a substitute. A striking career change, it seems. “You were a singer and a singing teacher, that’s quite a difference,” she is often told. But she says it’s not that bad. “I still have to deal with a lot of people. So it doesn’t really make a difference.”
More and more elderly people continue to work
Marianne is no longer an exception. According to Norbert Plotske, director of employment agency Actief 65-plus, the number of working retirees is growing rapidly. “It has increased enormously. People have become fitter, more computer literate and of course the tightness on the labor market also plays a role.” According to Plotske, the number of elderly people who continue to work after retirement has increased by as much as 40 to 50 percent in ten years. “That has really increased enormously.”
Employers are eager
Employers are also increasingly discovering the benefits of older employees. At the pharmacy in Bergen they are happy with Marie Anne. Her boss, pharmacist Adessamad El Mousati, sees many advantages. “We consciously chose the older generation. They are flexible and often quickly deployable. If you need someone extra, you can easily switch.” He also believes that older people bring a lot of experience to the workplace.
Stubborn prejudices
Yet prejudices about older workers still exist. They are said to be slower, sick more often or less computer savvy. According to Plotske, that is not true. “The fact that older employees are sick more often is statistically incorrect.” He emphasizes that employers value the experience and reliability of older employees. “It is now also outdated that they are less computer literate.”
“I just want to have a nice life every day”
During her delivery round, Marie Anne stops at her first stop: a care center. She cheerfully reports over the intercom: “For the pharmacy!” and she goes in with a large crate of medicine. Despite her busy schedule, she likes to make time for a chat.
When asked why she still works when she no longer has to, she has a clear answer. “I just want to have a nice life every day. And a nice life is me doing things.”
Many peers travel the world or fill their days in other ways. Mari Anne prefers an active life with meaning. “Keeping moving is important to me.”