Dragon’s Den for the over 50s?

The over 50s are to be enouraged to start their own businesses. In this piece in The Independent, and ahead of this week’s latest unemployment figures, the Government’s new scheme to “unleash a wave of new entrepreneurs” is reported.

The new enterprise allowance is aimed at older workers struggling to find jobs after being made redundant. The number of over-50s claiming jobseeker’s allowance has doubled since 2008, to almost 260,000. Almost 25,000 people aged 50 to 64 have been claiming it for more than two years, compared with 7,415 in March 2009.

According to the article, potential claimants will be able to pitch their business ideas after only three months on jobseeker’s allowance.