IRELAND CURRENTLY REQUIRES most workers to retire at the age of 65 – but an opposition party motion is calling on this to be scrapped.

Fianna Fáil is putting forward a Bill which would allow employees who want to keep working after 65 to continue to do so rather than be required to retire. The party argues that it is discrimination on the basis of age to force retirement on people at a certain age.

Proponents argue that the retirement age was brought in at a time when life expectancy was much lower and people are now living much longer and healthier lives after retirement, meaning many are capable of working far past the age of 65. Opponents say that people are entitled to retire after most will have worked for more than 40 years – and that abolishing the retirement age means it will be far more difficult for younger people to enter the jobs market as older people remain in jobs for longer, stifling the jobs market.

So today we’re asking: should Ireland scrap the retirement age of 65?