The “official” retirement age in Australia is set to rise up to 70 years old by 2035, and currently sits at 65.
Aussie workers over 50 are struggling to find traditional full-time roles.
The University of South Australia recently ran a study into the area that showed older job seekers are looking for work for twice as long as their younger counterparts.
With this perfect storm of occurrences complemented by the gradual rollout of the nbn® across Australia, it’s no wonder that many older Australians are choosing to take the leap into starting their own business rather than work for someone else.
67% of self described ‘baby boomers’ are making some form of an income through the internet, be it selling secondhand goods, participating in research, or living the dream of so many Aussies, and starting their own entrepreneurial project.
“As the nbn® network rollout nears completion, l expect this number will continue to climb as more Aussie seniors become aware of the online resources and opportunities at their disposal.”
–Dr Alex Maritz, Professor of Entrepreneurship at La Trobe University
Older people in Australia are more tech savvy than many may expect, with the average person aged between 50-65 owning 5 devices they have connected to the internet through ISP’s such as Activ8me.
1/3 of this age bracket are spending between 3-4 hours online each day, showing a fluency when it comes to technology and navigating the internet, and 73% view themselves as ‘equipped and confident’ when it comes to their ability to partake in a startup.
Startups have been everywhere in the media and our culture for the last few years, both successful and unsuccessful, entrepreneurship seems to be becoming the norm.
PlanDo, an online, customisable career coach encouraging people to continue developing their skills throughout their lives, secured over $90,000 in 2015. Founder and CEO, Anne Moore, was 60 years old when she started developing her startup idea, and didn’t let anyone discourage her.
“You need to be 35, male and cutting-code to be successful in this business.”
-A venture capitalists advice, as quoted to the Financial Review
Anne and countless other older Australians are disproving stereotypes, and cutting their own place into the tech world, as well as using technology to improve their own lives and opportunities.
If you’re interested in getting connected to the nbn®, the first step to reaching your future potential income avenue is calling Activ8me on 13 22 88, or visiting us online.