Angličtina s Hospodářskými novinami

šestiměsíční kurs angličtiny - professional english 18

The redefinition of 'old' by Graham Bradford

Magazine: Changing Times

People in developed countries are living longer. In 2005 in them USA the average lifespan was 77.6 years. This compares with 54 years in 1920 and just 34 years in 1780. By 2050 it is estimated that the average lifespan will be in the mid 80s. By 2025 in developed countries the share of the population over 60 will be 26 per cent.

This increasing longevity is starting to have an impact on public finances, economic growth and general living standards. This impact is greater in countries with low employment rates, such as those in the European Union - Italy would be a good example. As baby boomers (those born from 1946 to1960) reach retirement age there is increasing pressure on social security systems and public funds for retirement and health care expenses. Economists are increasingly questioning the sustainability of the European social model with its current high welfare standards.

'Active aging' is now being advanced by policy experts. The current division of life into three cycles: education, employment and retirement should be changed. According to these experts governments need to remove barriers that prevent older people from continuing to work and should extend the average working life. Schemes for lifelong learning need to be established to keep the ageing workforce equipped with up-to-date job skills.

The US agricultural firm Monsanto is encouraging the government to allow it to introduce 'phased retirement' for its workforce. Back in 1991 the company set up the Resource Re-entry Centre (RRC). Monsanto found it difficult to hire qualified temporary administrative assistants. Through the RRC it began to offer this work to retired administrative workers. The Centre now sources human resources among its retired workforce for a diverse range of projects. In so doing the company retains the skills, knowledge and social networks of its workers. Much of the work is project based and highly flexible. Over 60 per cent of the projects are given to workers over 60. A principal feature of the scheme is workers' access to cost-effective computer-based training to maintain and update job skills. The Centre strives to educate company managers regarding the cost efficiency and high quality of the work achieved by the service.

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For more business English articles and exercises go to: www.britishcouncil.org/professionals.htm

Exercise 1

Vocabulary: Matching. Match each word in the first column (1 to 7) with its definition in the second column (a to g):

1 lifespan
2 longevity
3 public finances
4 employment rates
5 retirement age
6 lifelong learning
7 computer-based training

a money spent by a government
b the number of people in work
c the age at which you stop working
d courses that deliver their content via computers, often via the internet
e the length of time a person lives
f always acquiring new knowledge
g living for a longer period of time

Exercise 2

Comprehension: True/False. Read the
article and decide if the following
statements are true or false:

1 The average lifespan in 1780 was 54 years.
2 By 2050 the average lifespan will be more than 80.
3 In Italy the increasing longevity will have no impact on public finances.
4 'Active ageing' allows people to extend their working lives.
5 Monsanto employs only people who are over 60 years old.
6 The Resource Re-entry Centre offers workers computer-based training.

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Word search

See if you can find these words in the grid. They can be horizontal, vertical, diagonal and backwards.

AVERA_E
POP_LATION
EMPLOYM_NT
RETIR_
LIF_SPAN
SECUR_TY
LONGEVI_Y
S_ILLS
MANAGERS
WORKE_S

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