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Gordon Lishman‚ Director General of Age Concern‚ said:

“There are 1.6m people between 50 and state pension age surviving on benefits and the vast majority would rather be in work.  If someone over 50 is forced out of work‚ a combination of ill-health‚ low skills‚ age discrimination and the demands of caring can make it virtually impossible to find a job.  If there were quick fixes to this problem‚ the Government would have found them by now. 

“Ministers must tackle ageism in the workplace and tailor support to over-50s if they really want to help get back them back to work.  People in their 50s and 60s should not be forced to do community work unless there is powerful evidence that it will help them find a long-term job.”

ENDS