Pensioners keep the summer country going.

Pensioners keep the summer country running

Seniors are happy to work long past retirement age, to the great benefit of businesses with a high season in the summer.

John Gaml happily drives 57 kilometers each way to tend to his senior job at Djurs Sommerland. Some weeks he works 15 hours, others 30.

By Jesper Ibfelt ([email protected]) 28 minutes ago

John turned 78 the Saturday before last.

And even though his last name is Gaml, he doesn't feel too old to work at Djurs Sommerland. On the contrary, the job as an operator in the farm area gives him plenty of energy.

An energy that triggers a cavalcade of high-fives for both children and adults, and the wish for a good shake on the ride "the milkshaker."

- The interaction that can exist between me as an operator and all the many guests - it's just great, says John Gaml, a former schoolteacher.

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DA values pensioners

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If it weren't for the pensioners, the younger generations risked growing old while waiting in line for roller coasters, ice cream kiosks, and restaurants all over the country.

The pensioners are the guarantee that there is enough staff.

- It's especially visible here in the summer, when many businesses have to cover holidays while also experiencing extra busyness. That's why seniors are very valuable, says Maria Bille Høeg, employment chief at the Danish Employers' Association (DA).

More and more elderly people are choosing to continue working after retirement age to a greater or lesser extent.

Over 105,000 employees in Danish workplaces are 67 years or older.

That's 35,000 more than just five years ago.

This is shown by the latest figures for May from the Agency for Labour Market and Recruitment (STAR).

Michael B. Nielsen, director of Djurs Sommerland, runs campaigns each year targeting senior employees. Years ago, they had 30 seniors employed. Today, they have 50 - and they would like more.

One of the places that benefits from the many willing pensioners is Djurs Sommerland.

Here, 50 out of 850 employees are over 62 years old - far more than in previous years.

- This interaction between the young and the old, the experienced and the inexperienced - it works really well. And it's clear that these seniors, as we call them, are super good with families with children, says Michael B. Nielsen, director of Djurs Sommerland.

Some of them, like John Gaml, work in the "Farm Area."

- We get along really well with each other - young and old. That's a driving force in itself, says John Gaml.

At their colleagues in Fårup Sommerland, they also have around 50 senior employees.

- They come back year after year. And when we need new seniors for jobs in the spring, we get several hundred applicants who want to be part of the team. So it's very popular, says director Niels Jørgen Jensen.

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It pays off

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Financially, it has become more attractive to work a bit longer. For example, wages are no longer deducted from the pension, and most recently, a tax-free bonus has been introduced if we continue working one or two years after retirement.

- We very much want to acknowledge the politicians for having done that. But there is still a huge potential to go further down that path, because unfortunately many seniors still retire before the state pension age, says Maria Bille Høeg from DA.

For John Gaml, however, the money has not been decisive.

- We'll take it, but it's not what drives me.

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