The word "senior" refers to the elderly, and it is a term often associated with the world of work. As a result, a person is considered to be senior regardless of the context because in certain trades or sectors of activity a person is qualified as such according to their age or experience.
Seniors are the most affected by unemployment and they have now become a priority for the French state. However, it is important to know at what age an employee becomes a senior and what this designation means for him.
The Latin word senior means "older person" and is used mainly in business to avoid the use of the term "old" which may seem pejorative. If in the 1970s and 1980s an employee was sent on early retirement at the age of 55 to promote the employment of young people, today this system has disappeared and the legal retirement age has been raised to remedy the problem of the pension fund deficit. However, recruitment firms consider those over 45 as seniors. The world of professional sports such as athletics designates the athlete as a senior at the age of 23.
The notion of "senior" therefore depends on the context and is sometimes classified according to social level. It can be noted in business that a person is considered a senior at the age of 45. In marketing studies, specialists refer to people aged 50 as seniors because according to them, lifestyle changes that modify needs occur at this age.
For the State, the age of sixty marks the retirement age and allows access to certain social assistance benefits. In a medical context, it is from the age of 70 that the designation "senior" is used because according to doctors, health problems begin to accumulate at this age.
Laws that help seniors get back to work vary from country to country. In France, the social security financing law promotes the re-employment of older employees by penalizing companies with at least 50 employees to their credit that have not provided for an action plan relating to the employment of older employees. This is to provide a solution to the high unemployment rate for seniors who can or still wish to work, and above all who can bring a lot to the company because of the accumulated experience.
