45 is the New 60: The New Retirement Age

“The companies may have changed the rules of the game, but that means we are now free to invent a whole new game entirely.”

Atip Muangsuwan
CEO Coach and Coach Supervisor

If you thought the AI revolution would only disrupt middle management or manual labor, think again. The corporate playbook has been rewritten, and the new targets are both the most experienced and the least experienced among us.

Companies are now targeting employees as young as 45 for early retirement while also rejecting new graduates for a lack of experience and soft skills. Discover why this dual-age crisis is creating an urgent need for coaching.

A silent, seismic shift is happening in boardrooms worldwide. The message is clear: 45 is the new 60.

Gone are the days when early retirement packages were reserved for those nearing the end of their careers. Now, companies are strategically offering voluntary—and often incentivized—exit packages to employees starting from the shockingly young age of 45. This isn’t a gesture of gratitude; it’s a cold, calculated cost-cutting strategy.

The Why: Experience vs. Expense

Why 45? The math is brutally simple. An employee with 20+ years of experience commands a significantly higher salary, benefits, and bonuses than someone a decade younger. By replacing them with talent from the 25-35 age bracket, companies can slash their manpower costs dramatically.

This is where the digital transformation triad—AI, technology, and automation—comes in. As I detailed in Beyond the AI Apocalypse, companies are no longer looking to just augment their workforce with tech; they are building a new, cheaper, tech-native one. They believe they can retain a younger, more “adaptable” core team and use AI to fill the experience gap left by their senior staff.

The Other Side of the Coin: The Green and The Gray

But the plot thickens. If you think this means a golden age for new graduates, you’d be wrong. This corporate strategy creates a devastating dual-age crisis.

The same companies pushing out experienced professionals at 45 are also hesitant to hire 21-22-year-old new graduates. The reason is twofold. Firstly, they lack the immediate, practical experience and specific skill sets needed to navigate a complex, AI-driven workplace from day one.

Secondly, compounding this is a damaging generalization held by many corporate leaders: that this younger generation often lacks crucial soft skills like emotional intelligence (EQ), patience, and social etiquette. They are stereotyped as lacking respect for hierarchy and the established wisdom of senior colleagues, making them seem like a poor “cultural fit” for traditional organizational structures. Companies in cost-cutting mode are not in the business of extensive training or cultural rehabilitation; they want plug-and-play employees who are cheap, proficient, and low-maintenance.

This creates a perfect storm:

• The “Gray” (45+): Deemed too expensive and “analog,” despite their invaluable experience and wisdom.
• The “Green” (21-22): Deemed too inexperienced, impatient, not hard-working, and lacking in soft skills, despite their fresh perspectives and digital nativity.

The result? A massive pool of talented, capable individuals from both age groups who find themselves on the outside looking in. This is the 80% I warned you about—the vast majority who will be pushed out of the traditional corporate setting, not by a machine takeover, but by a calculated human resources strategy enabled by technology and generational bias.

The Pathway Forward: Reinvention Through Coaching

So, where does that leave the 45-year-old executive with a wealth of knowledge and the 22-year-old graduate with a wealth of potential? Both are standing at the same crossroads, facing the same fundamental questions:

• “Who am I beyond my job title or my degree?”
• “What is my true purpose if the traditional path is closed?”
• “How do I reinvent myself and create value on my own terms?”

This is where the critical need for reinvention begins. And this is precisely why Life Coaching, Career Coaching, and Spiritual Coaching are poised for an unprecedented boom.

This isn’t just about writing a new resume. It’s about:

1. Navigating the Identity Crisis: Helping individuals separate their self-worth from their corporate title or academic pedigree.
2. Discovering Purpose: Uncovering the unique gifts and passions that lie dormant, waiting to be unleashed in a new venture, business, or career path.
3. Building a New Framework: Developing the mindset, strategies, and practical steps to build a resilient, purpose-driven life that exists beyond the whims of corporate cost-cutting.

The AI apocalypse isn’t about robots ruling the world; it’s about a systemic shift that forces us to confront our humanity. It pushes us to ask the deepest questions about our value, our purpose, and how we choose to contribute to the world.

The companies may have changed the rules of the game, but that means we are now free to invent a whole new game entirely. If you find yourself in this 80%, understand that your journey isn’t ending—it’s finally, truly beginning. The first step is seeking the guidance to see the opportunity within the crisis.

The future of work is the future of self. Are you ready to reinvent yours?

About Atip Muangsuwan: Atip Muangsuwan is the Founder & CEO of The Best Coach International Co., Ltd. He is a CEO & UHNWI Coach, Certified Mentor & Supervisor for global executive coaches, Holistic Life Transformation Expert, Business & Life Strategist, and Corporate Facilitator/Trainer. With a proven track record of helping clients achieve their career goals and job promotions, Atip is dedicated to supporting individuals in their personal and professional growth.