Alan Greenspan is 79 and still going strong as chairman of the Federal Reserve. More than 62 per cent of Japanese between the ages of 55 and 64 are still in work.

Employees over 50 comprise more than 20 per cent of the workforce of B&Q, the UK do-it-yourself retailer. And EADS, the aerospace consortium that builds Airbus aircraft, recently announced an agreement with trade unions to encourage more workers aged over 50 to remain at work.