Managing without default retirement in universities: a comparative picture from Australia

Abstract

The abolition of the default retirement age is creating challenges for UK employers, and universities in particular. Operating without mandatory retirement may have consequences for performance management, the creation of opportunities for new generations of workers, the scope for workforce planning and employment costs. Drawing on comparative experiences of Australian universities, which have been operating without mandatory retirement since the 1990s, this paper critically examines whether these consequences have materialised in Australia. It draws out a number of lessons for UK universities from the Australian experience.