Over-50s looking for work should consider delivering takeaways and other flexible jobs typically occupied by younger people, the UK’s work and pensions secretary has said. According to The Guardian, Mel Stride made the comments during a visit to the London headquarters of the food delivery firm Deliveroo, which has recorded a 62% increase in riders aged over 50 since 2021.

In an interview with The Times (paywall) during the visit, Stride said these flexible jobs offered ‘great opportunities’ and that it was ‘good for people to consider options they might not have otherwise thought of’. He said employers could benefit from widening their recruitment pool to access all the available talent, and that flexible working can attract older workers. This builds on his earlier comments that such jobs suit workers with disabilities.

In the recently introduced digital mid-life MOTs, which are designed to help older workers with financial planning, health guidance and career skills, Stride said, “You really do need to sensibly stop, take where you are in life, and assess whether, for example, you’ve got enough money to get you through with the kind of lifestyle and living standards that you’re expecting.”

An analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies thinktank found that nearly half of older people who dropped out of the workforce at the start of the pandemic were struggling financially. Stride said employers were responsible for creating an inclusive work environment for older employees. 

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) subsequently accused Stride, of “glorifying the gig economy” instead of tackling the real challenges facing older workers.