On December 22, 2025, two very different but strikingly similar conversations about aging and retirement took place—one in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the other in the boardrooms and workshops of the United Kingdom. Both discussions, though separated by geography and cultural context, converged on a pressing question: How can societies and organizations better value, empower, and prepare older adults for meaningful roles in their later years?
In Jakarta, Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment, Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar, delivered a forceful call to action during a webinar titled "Reforming Elderly Governance in Indonesia Towards a Golden Generation of Independent, Healthy, and Prosperous Seniors." The event, held on December 22, brought together policymakers, experts, and advocates to address the country’s rapidly aging population. According to Antara, the minister argued that it’s time to stop seeing the elderly merely as passive recipients of aid or as burdens on the nation’s resources. Instead, he insisted, “The elderly are not a demographic burden. Of course, the elderly are not merely objects of aid or recipients of compensation alone. They are citizens who are still productive, dignified, and possess the same constitutional rights. They are the subjects of development.”
Minister Muhaimin’s remarks come at a crucial moment for Indonesia. Since 2020, the proportion of citizens aged 60 and above has surpassed 10 percent—a figure projected to nearly double to 20 percent by 2045. Despite this demographic shift, much of the country’s policy focus has remained on leveraging the so-called “demographic bonus” of younger, working-age citizens. But, as Muhaimin pointed out, “We often talk about the demographic bonus, but we forget that the phenomenon of an aging population is another very important and crucial agenda.”
He didn’t mince words about the need for a paradigm shift. The regulatory framework for elderly welfare, especially Law Number 13/1998, still views seniors as objects to be cared for, not as active contributors. “This law still places the elderly as objects who only need to be cared for, not as active subjects holding rights who have the potential to continue contributing to development,” he explained. For Muhaimin, the future lies in creating a “sustainable empowerment ecosystem” that recognizes the productivity and dignity of older adults. “We cannot let our parents spend their productive years in their old age without an adequate ecosystem for efforts to increase development and productivity,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a new survey of professional services partners in the UK shone a harsh light on a different but related issue: the lack of proactive retirement planning among high-achieving professionals. The survey, conducted by Next-Up, a Yorkshire-based specialist in partner transition, polled 650 partners from prestigious law and accountancy firms—including the so-called “magic circle” and the “big four”—as well as regional practices. The findings were eye-opening. Nearly 80 percent of respondents said they wanted to feel "useful and relevant" after retiring, but only 12 percent had a clear plan for their future.
Victoria Tomlinson, founder and CEO of Next-Up and a former director at EY, contextualized these results by pointing to the changing realities of longevity. “Thanks to advances in modern medicine and healthier lifestyles the 100-year life is no longer exceptional which means that partners retiring in their late 50s can expect to be retired longer than they worked. Most will have 20 to 30 more active years where they want to have purpose and achieve a better work life balance,” Tomlinson told The Yorkshire Post.
The survey revealed a widespread belief among partners that they could seamlessly transition into lucrative non-executive director (NED) roles, earning between £100,000 and £200,000 or more a year while working just a couple of days a week. But Tomlinson cautioned that the reality is far more competitive and less glamorous than many imagine. “It’s simply not that easy. The two leading NED websites have some 200,000 members between them and there just aren’t that number of non-executive roles around,” she said. “Most retiring partners are white and in their 50s at a time when boards are looking for more diversity in their NEDs as well as those with specific sector experience. Once they realise the reality of the chances of landing a role, and what’s involved if they do, the appeal fades.”
The upshot? Both individuals and firms need to start planning much earlier for the transition out of full-time work. “They and their firms have to be helped, encouraged and provided with the tools to begin planning for this transition much earlier in their professional lives. Ideally, firms should have pro-active retirement planning as part of their talent acquisition programmes because when partners leave excited by the future and not longing for the past, it’s not only good for them but for their firms too,” Tomlinson emphasized.
These two stories—one focused on national policy and the other on organizational practice—highlight a shared challenge facing societies worldwide: how to harness the energy, experience, and aspirations of older adults in a way that benefits both individuals and the broader community. In Indonesia, the government’s recognition of the elderly as “active subjects” marks a significant step toward more inclusive and empowering policies. The push to update outdated laws and build a robust support ecosystem could help millions of seniors live fuller, more productive lives well into their later years.
In the UK, the professional services sector’s struggle with retirement planning underscores the importance of preparing for longevity—not just financially, but psychologically and socially. The notion that retirement is a time of withdrawal is increasingly outdated. With people living longer, healthier lives, the transition out of full-time work is less an ending than a new beginning—one that requires intentional planning, realistic expectations, and, ideally, societal and organizational support.
It’s worth noting that both Minister Muhaimin and Victoria Tomlinson stress the need to move away from passive, aid-based models toward approaches that emphasize empowerment, agency, and continued engagement. Whether it’s through updated legislation in Indonesia or proactive transition programs in the UK, the message is clear: societies and organizations that invest in the well-being and potential of their older citizens stand to gain not just in economic terms, but in social cohesion, intergenerational solidarity, and collective wisdom.
As the world’s population ages, these questions will only grow more urgent. Will governments and employers rise to the challenge, or will outdated attitudes and structures hold back a generation eager to contribute? For now, the conversations in Jakarta and Yorkshire offer a hopeful glimpse of what’s possible when the value of older adults is recognized—and their voices are heard.