CW+ Premium Content/MicroScope

The UK’s technology sector has had, and continues to have, a significant demographic challenge. As the nation grapples with an ageing population, the UK government has responded with fiscal policies designed to extend the working lives of its citizens, predominantly through the incremental raising of the state pension age. Simultaneously, the IT sector, the vanguard of the modern British economy, continues to operate within a cultural and structural framework that systematically marginalises older professionals. The premise of the current UK economic strategy is built on the assumption of “fuller working lives”. With the state pension age having risen to 66 and legislated to reach 67 between 2026 and 2028, the expectation is that workers will remain economically productive well into their late 60s. For many sectors, this transition, while challenging, is operationally feasible. However, in the technology sector, a “grey door” appears to descend significantly earlier, often as early as age 50, creating a demographic anomaly where...