74 % Belgians do not want to work until the age of 65
Almost three quarters of the employees in Belgium say they do not want to work until they are 65. According to an annual survey made by HR service provider Securex, stress is the main obstacle to being able to work longer.
About 63 percent of the employees in Belgium say they cannot work until the legal retirement age of 65. Even more Belgians say they do not want to work until the age of 65.
According to Hermina Van Coillie of Securex, there is a "resistance" in Belgium to working until retirement age, despite the many efforts that have been made to encourage people to work longer. "Forcing people to work longer does not help," she says.
Nearly one in three respondents set the limit at 60 years of age but 20 percent think they can work until the statutory retirement age of 65.
Stress
Especially stress is the biggest obstacle to working longer. About 44 percent of the employees say that mental workload does not allow them to work until the statutory retirement age. "Fear plays a major role. People cannot handle their job and are afraid to make mistakes," explains Van Coillie from Securex.
It's not just a question of being able to work longer, but also a question of being willing to. Almost three out of four employees, about 74 percent, do not want to work until they're 65 and only 16 percent do want to work until they reach statutory retirement age.
According to Securex, these figures show that obliging people to work longer does not work. Employees who find their job meaningful, can and want to work longer. "Employers do not make the job meaningful enough," concludes Van Coillie.