Envejecimiento de la población y nuevas tecnologías

El envejecimiento de la población en UK , su impacto en el modo en que se trabaja y consideraciones sobre cómo soluciones tecnológicas son importantes en el nuevo escenario: transporte, atención sanitaria.

Ageing population: is it an opportunity?

The UK government recently scraped the default retirement age. It means employers will no longer be allowed to dismiss staff just because they have reached the age of 65. The UK is not alone, governments across Europe are reevaluating the age at which their citizens qualify for retirement, primarily because of burgeoning pension debt caused by the fact that people are living longer. This is compounded by the fact that we have a declining birth rate, which means fewer people in the workforce contributing to the economy.

There is no doubt that our ageing population will have a huge impact on society. Healthcare, social services, transportation are just some of the areas that are going to experience an explosion in demand over the coming decades. Consequently, over the next few years we’re likely to see further legislation and significant changes to how public services are provisioned (e.g. growth of telemedicine, expansion of online services).

While the debate around the topic of ageing nations tends to focus on the challenges, it’s important to remember that there is also a number of opportunities. Here are just a few thoughts:

From a societal perspective, lifetime working patterns are likely to change as will our perception of what it means to ‘retire’. People are likely to increasingly describe themselves as ‘semi-retired’ as new opportunities emerge for older people to continue participating in the workforce. From a business standpoint, we’re likely to see companies emerging who provide products and services designed specifically to help older people live independent lives for longer.We’re also likely to see the ageing population having an impact on the digital space. Social media tools will increasingly cater for older people. It’s a great tool for helping those who have retired (or semi-retired) to stay in touch with friends and participate in online communities. In addition, the gaming industry is likely to benefit with games that cater specifically for older people. The perception of these industries being the bastion of the young is about to change.

Our ageing population is a serious issue, but it’s one that will present us with a good number of opportunities as well as challenges.

Matt Morgan

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