Pre-reading questions:
- How long do you think can a person work in a company? Why?
- At what age do you want to retire? Why?
- What do you plan to do with your time after retirement?
Seniors in Japan usually still work after they retire. A program has been set in place to help seniors land jobs. Economists say that if Japan wants to alleviate its worsening labor shortage, it needs a whole lot more people, like retiring seniors. It is unconventional for seniors to work after retirement. Japan does an inadequate job of employing healthy seniors.
People in their senior years can still work. There are still so many things they can do as long as they are healthy. To avoid shortage of labor force, Japan needs to come up with more innovative policies to pull seniors into the workforce. People in Japan have long, healthy lives, and laws and company policies in the country have not kept up in terms of making use of their longevity.
Vocabulary:
alleviate – to make something bad such as pain or problems less severe
unconventional – different from what is usual or from the way most people do things
inadequate – not good enough or too low in quality
innovative – using new methods or ideas
keep up with [something] – to continue to be informed about something
longevity – living for a long time
Comprehension Questions:
- What do seniors in Japan usually do after they retire?
- What is the purpose of the program that has been set in place for seniors?
- According to economists in Japan, what can be the answer to the worsening labor shortage?
- What does Japan need to pull seniors back in to the workforce?
Express Your Opinion:
- The older you get, the more productive you are at work.
- Productivity does not diminish with age.
- 60 is too young to retire.
- Seniors should just stay home and relax.
- The best age to retire is 45.
- Employees get tired of working; but when they retire, they’ll get tired of doing nothing.