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What clock are you using?
Biological clock or "workforce clock"?
I think:
Biological middle age: mid 40's, old age mid 70's
Workforce age (generally) a little earlier, perhaps ~38-40 and ~68 respectively although some jobs can be performed longer, depending ones mental and physical status.
The workforce is aging, but lots of people 68 or older start to develop conditions that prevent them to work full time or performing particular jobs.
There are jobs that set an age limit due to cognitive status, more likely than physical status.
Yeah, looks like it was me who recently dropped the word about 'middle age' here (). So here my own two cents.
I would say in terms of the labor market here 50-55 is the limit where you no longer have any career opportunities (yeah, unless you just want to go to work in a supermarket as a cashier). I will give one example. Years ago, when I worked for a specific company we had a case where my boss and I were hiring a new employee. My job was to assess the candidate's professional skills as the recruited person had to become my subordinate, the boss's job was to make the final decision. One woman 55 yo arrived, her CV was okay. But in her case we just didn't get to the assessment of professional skills because the boss rejected her CV as soon as he saw her year of birth.. Too old!
In terms of social interaction, imo the border for 'non-young people' in Estonia starts at the age of 40. It is normal that people over the age of 40 do not hang out in discos and pubs. People aged 25-35 are kings here.
Yeah, looks like it was me who recently dropped the word about 'middle age' here (). So here my own two cents.
I would say in terms of the labor market here 50-55 is the limit where you no longer have any career opportunities (yeah, unless you just want to go to work in a supermarket as a cashier). I will give one example. Years ago, when I worked for a specific company we had a case where my boss and I were hiring a new employee. My job was to assess the candidate's professional skills as the recruited person had to become my subordinate, the boss's job was to make the final decision. One woman 55 yo arrived, her CV was okay. But in her case we just didn't get to the assessment of professional skills because the boss rejected her CV as soon as he saw her year of birth.. Too old!
In terms of social interaction, imo the border for 'non-young people' in Estonia starts at the age of 40. It is normal that people over the age of 40 do not hang out in discos and pubs. People aged 25-35 are kings here.
The disco part does not surprise me. Don't think there are many places where the plus 40s are hitting the clubs. The pubs one definitely did though. In English speaking countries pubs are definitely not seen as a place for only the young (though naturally the majority of people in the pub will be usually under 40).
Yeah, looks like it was me who recently dropped the word about 'middle age' here (). So here my own two cents.
I would say in terms of the labor market here 50-55 is the limit where you no longer have any career opportunities (yeah, unless you just want to go to work in a supermarket as a cashier). I will give one example. Years ago, when I worked for a specific company we had a case where my boss and I were hiring a new employee. My job was to assess the candidate's professional skills as the recruited person had to become my subordinate, the boss's job was to make the final decision. One woman 55 yo arrived, her CV was okay. But in her case we just didn't get to the assessment of professional skills because the boss rejected her CV as soon as he saw her year of birth.. Too old!
In terms of social interaction, imo the border for 'non-young people' in Estonia starts at the age of 40. It is normal that people over the age of 40 do not hang out in discos and pubs. People aged 25-35 are kings here.
I have a relative working as a HR in a software company in China, she proudly told me they simply ignore candidates over the age of 30. By the way, Chinese labor law(which is next to nonexisting) doesn't prohibit age discrimination. It's common to see birth date and ethnicity on resume.
If a company has too many employees over 30yo, it's considered inferior, because it implies that it can't attract young people. That's why even though there exist companies that hire middle aged people, they are reluctant to admit it because it damages their corporation image.
In China, if you can read Chinese, posted job requirements often include age range and gender. This can be illegal in some other countries. Some jobs in China are for young, some are for middle age. Some other Asian countries are similar.
Had a meal at a dim sum restaurant in HK, food are served by 70 or 65 years old waitresses. Minibuses driven by a 70 years old man. Gambled at the tables in Macau casinos, there were both middle age and young junior dealers. Then crossed into Shenzhen and Zhuhai, most of the people seen are much younger including the cleaners sweeping the streets.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoodHombre
In the United States, if you are in early 30s and claim to be suffering from middle age crisis, people probably think you are crazy.
But in China, the general consensus is the age of 30 is the cutoff. Job seekers often find it extremely hard to find a new job once turned 30, some corporations like Huawei layoff employees before they turn 34. Being young is king, the labor market doesn't want old people(that is, anyone over 35).
If you have the right skillset there are lots of opportunities for "older" people working for nonprofits in the USA. They tend to be more socially responsible organizations that take age discrimination seriously. Also, if you get up to management level in almost any field you can still find good work. Look at the age of politicians too. In any case, age discrimination is real in the work place, but there are still many opportunities. You just need to find the right niche. I got a new job in my 60s. But, back to the OP, my feeling is that 40s is middle-aged for the simple fact that the average life expectancy is around 79 years. Of course if you live to 50 and you are still in good health you are likely to live well into your 80s. In any case, I don't give a hoot what label anyone wants to put on my age--just live life!
I have always considered middle age to be a variably defined period extending roughly from the mid 30s to the mid 60s. A shade younger than the general consensus in this thread. I am in my late 40s and well into it by my own definition.
I guess my idea of middle age has more to do with a nebulous algebra of life stages; an equation built from such factors as as work/career, physical constitution, and family role. Obviously these things can vary widely depending on the individual.
Then again, I don't strictly define what it means to be middle aged in any practical sense. That is, behaviorally speaking. 'You are only as old as you feel' as the saying goes.
Young: 18-29
Not young but not quite middle-aged: 30-39
Middle-aged: 40-65
Senior: 65+
^from the perspective of a twentysomething American
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