How do you view the re-employment of the elderly?

According to recent reports from the Workers’ Daily and other media, a number of news about China’s entry into an aging society have been trending in recent times. Among them, the topic of a fast food company recruiting retirees has attracted much attention. . According to reports, the company’s specific recruitment requirements are: female retired employees are over 50 years old and men are over 60 years old, with a flexible working system, working 4 to 5 days a week, 4 to 8 hours a day, and a salary of 1,800 yuan per month. -3500 yuan. Regarding the return of seniors to the workplace, some netizens lamented that they could no longer compete with those born in the 2000s, and now they cannot compete with those born in the 1960s.

Nowadays, some fast food companies have extended an "olive branch" to retirees when recruiting, but the hourly wages offered by the companies are not high, mostly more than ten or twenty yuan per hour, which is less than The expectations of young people and the elderly have also been accused by some netizens of treating the elderly as "cheap labor". In fact, this type of fast food companies recruit retirees, who are mostly engaged in tasks such as clearing tables, cleaning stores and kitchens, and maintaining order. The positions themselves have limited technical content, and it is normal for the salaries to be low. In addition to catering companies, many companies in service industries such as property management, security, and housekeeping also welcome retirees, and the salaries are not high.

At the same time, in reality, there are some positions for the elderly, with promised salaries that are not low, such as teachers, doctors, accountants, etc. These positions require applicants to have relatively rich professional knowledge and work experience, while the requirements for applicants’ age, image, etc. are not that high.

Data show that as of 2021, my country’s population aged 60 and above accounts for 18.9% of the country’s total population, among which the young and elderly population aged 60 to 69 account for more than half of the elderly population aged 60 and above, and some of them Still willing and able to work. For the elderly, being dissatisfied with old age and refusing to retire is a manifestation of pursuing a high-quality elderly life and using their remaining energy to realize the value of life. For the country and society, the re-employment of the elderly within their capabilities is conducive to revitalizing human resources, activating employment potential, and resolving the labor shortage problem caused by aging. Looking around the world, in some countries that have entered an aging society, the phenomenon of re-employment of the elderly has become very common. For example, on flights operated by some foreign airlines, elderly service personnel with white hair can often be seen serving as flight attendants.

With the increase in re-employment of the elderly, some new problems have also emerged. For example, the Implementation Regulations of the Labor Contract Law stipulate that "when an employee reaches the legal retirement age, the labor contract shall be terminated." This makes it difficult for the relationship between the re-employed elderly and the employer to be recognized as a labor relationship and can only be a labor relationship. At the same time, the rights and responsibilities of the elderly in terms of identification and compensation of work-related injuries, pension insurance, etc. are not clear enough. Among them, the more typical problem is the issue of over-age migrant workers. How to protect the legitimate rights and interests of re-employed elderly people and prevent them from becoming "second-class workers" in the eyes of employers is an urgent problem that needs to be solved at the moment.

On the one hand, the legislative and judicial departments must provide strong legal protection for the re-employment of the elderly, so that they can gain value from their work; on the other hand, the human resources and social departments must also do a good job for the elderly. Re-employment services guarantee jobs so that re-employed seniors can avoid detours. In addition, relevant parties may wish to guide and encourage employers to provide more employment opportunities for the elderly, carry out employment training for the elderly who need employment, and pave the way for re-employment of the elderly in an all-round and multi-channel manner, thereby allowing the elderly to perform better. Waste heat and realize individual value.