A new report from the NSW Council on the Ageing has identified employment as a key area of concern for Newcastle residents over the age of 50.
Residents of Charlestown, Lake Macquarie, Newcastle, Swansea and Wallsend took part in one of 18 statewide focus groups, with most admitting they are concerned about securing jobs and interviews or being forced into early retirement.
"Generally people who find themselves unemployed at 50 are likely to be unemployed until retirement age," Council CEO Meagan Lawson explained.
"That obviously has far-reaching impacts on their standards of living and ability to rent or pay off mortgages," she continued, "that continues into retirement..."
Ms Lawson said local infrastructure and transport were also areas highlighted for improvement.
"They're worried about getting around - so the privatisation of bus services in Newcastle, as well as poorly constructed footpaths were identified as a big issue."
Older Novocastrians also expressed their concerns over the increasing digitisation of public information, with details of things like community events moving online.
Finally, the surveyed group said they'd like to see medical staff given extra training on how to communicate effectively.
For more information, visit the COTA website.
