Want to work past 60? Report tracks progress of the baby boomers

A new report looks at the effect the ageing population might have on the UK Windows & Doors industry. 30 per cent of the leaders at the UK's Top 2000 companies will be over 60 in the next five years. 15% of them will be over 65 in the same period.

The study by industry analysts Plimsoll Publishing Ltd has looked at the impact these aging directors might have on the financial performance and future direction of the UK's Top 2000 Windows & Doors companies.

Collectively the UK Top 2,000 Windows & Doors companies are led by only 4149 directors. They vary in age from the youngest at 19, to the oldest aged 91. Yet overall they are ageing; over 15% of them will be aged over 60 by the end of the year. Over the next five years, if they stay, 30% of them will have turned 60.

So is the market as appealing as it was 10 years ago?

Delving into the current financial position of the 2000 companies studied, the analysis uncovers many reasons to leave the industry. 30% of the companies are in clear financial difficulties and 21% of companies failed to make any profit at all last year.

So how many of the 4149 directors are ready for the stresses of the next 5 years?

Some don't, it seems, have a choice. David Pattison, Senior Analyst at Plimsoll maintains. ‘It's debatable how many can afford to retire. If they are thinking of selling up then the business needs to command a good price if it's going to finance the winters in the Caribbean and not all believe it or not, are ready for this anyway'.

For these reasons, the analysis points to strong evidence that directors are hanging on well into retirement. The myth that your enthusiasm and motivation fails with age is completely unfounded as 160 companies ran by directors over 60 increased both sales and profits in the last year.

So can the industry offer the next generation of directors an exciting future?

The average director's salary last year was £44,400. This compares to the UK average of £67,500 per year. Average directors' fees increased by 8% last year. Top earners can see this salary rise to over £127,000 per year. The typical time in office is now over 5 years. This compares to the UK average of just over 5 years. For any budding windows & doors executive though, why not consider a career in the record industry where salaries can top £272,000?