Hiking retirement age could help labour force in Atlantic Canada: report

A labour market review by the Toronto-based C.D. Howe Institute says raising the retirement age to 67 could help address high job vacancies in the Atlantic provinces.

Parisa Mahboubi, a senior policy analyst at the institute who co-authored the study, told CBC Radio's Information Morning Nova Scotia the study looked at indicators like productivity and GDP per capita across all provinces.

She said the four Atlantic provinces have the lowest labour participation rates for seniors. 

Nova Scotia, in particular, has high job vacancies and a low unemployment rate, she said.

A gradual increase in the retirement age, she said, could help ensure an adequate workforce that cannot be addressed by immigration alone. 

Mahboubi said research shows that there are health benefits when seniors are active.

The need for flexible work as a way of supporting older workers is echoed by Janice Keefe, chair of the department of family studies and gerontology at Mount Saint Vincent University and the director of the Nova Scotia Centre on Aging.

Keefe told CBC Radio many seniors are also caregivers to their parents or spouses, and workplaces need to accommodate their caregiving duties.

Any proposed change would likely affect different socio-economic groups unevenly, Keefe noted.

People with private pensions would be less affected than low-income workers relying on government pensions, she said.

Keefe said another challenge is that older workers often face ageism in the workplace.

Like Mahboubi, Keefe said staying in the workforce can be beneficial to seniors.

"We do know that continued social engagement is really important for our well-being," she said.

"A lot of people have a lot of attachment and self fulfilment from their work … work is important, and your work relationships may be very valuable to you."