What's a couple more years?

(AFP/Remy Gabalda) copied from here

A hotly-debated pension reform bill has recently passed in France. One of the main provisions was changing the retirement age from 60 to 62, which happens to be Early Retirement age here in the U.S.

Public opinion in France was against the change, but the Government went ahead, citing the need to make the change because of increasing debt and people who just keep living longer.

What I find somewhat humorous is that some of the most vocal protestors are high school students. 60 must seem ancient to them, and 62 is like having one foot in the grave already!

In reading some recent research on work attitudes, specifically about retirement, it is interesting that a vast majority of workers do not actually retire when they are eligible to do so, even when they have sufficient funds to live comfortably without working. Many workers even choose to return to work after retirement because they need the structure, fulfillment and meaning that work brings to their lives.

But I suppose that even if most workers continue working past the age of retirement, they would prefer to have that choice of retirement, instead of being forced to work a couple of extra years.