1. What jobs are more suited to older people and what jobs are more suited to younger people?
In China, for the older generation social work such as guarding the local neighborhood and babysitting children is really popular. Most people who do this kind of work are around fifty-five years old or more, and most of them are well educated. They have so much experience in their life, so they know how to do social work better than those who have less life-experience under their belt. As for the younger generation they get more employment opportunities, and it seems more challenging for them as well. As the hi-tech industry is growing really fast, younger people can get all the latest information on the internet. This gives them the skills needed to thrive in more creative jobs that require a lot of adaptability. This includes things like inventing network languages, designing modern houses, and trying to figure out how to make life much colorful and better.
2. Do you think people should be promoted at work because they’ve given many years of service to the company or do you think that people should only be promoted based on their performance at work?
It’s my opinion that promotions should be based on merit only. It is not right to reward people just for being moderately competent at their job. Unless they show that they are motivated and skilled enough to do more challenging work then there is no reason to promote them. If people are promoted merely because they have worked at a company for a long time then there is no incentive for them to work hard; they just have to avoid failing rather than strive to do better. Perhaps people who have given many years service to their employer can be rewarded with bonus pay or additional benefits like pensions, but it’s foolish to give jobs to people who aren’t the best qualified to perform them.
3. What is the usual retirement age for people in China?
The legal retirement age is sixty for men and fifty-five for most women. This is in-line with most industrialized nations. It may have to be raised in the future as more and more people retire and want to claim pension benefits. Indeed, for many state-owned jobs the retirement age is more like fifty or fifty-five in order to make way for younger generations of graduates. The reasoning behind this is that the younger workers will be more highly qualified and better able to perform at their jobs. Some people say that a high retirement age is a bad thing because it can take jobs away from people entering the workplace. They argue that it’s unfair for a young person to be unemployed because an old person is taking their job.
4. If someone who is older than the retirement age wants to and is able to continue working, is he or she allowed to do that?
Yes, they are. In some schools and hospitals, some really famous teachers or doctors continue working even though they already passed the retirement age. They are re-hired by the school or the hospital again because of their fame and expertise. I think that it’s a good thing to do that, because it not only helps the school or the hospital but also lets the new teachers or doctors watch how they do their job and learn from people more skilled than they are. Of course, old people don’t have to continue working past the retirement age. Many people enjoy a relaxing retirement. For some people though, work is a way of life and they don’t want to lose it.
