Technoprint managing director Mark Snee has mixed views on the plans.

"There should be a 'default' retirement age at which point both the employer and employee have the option to break the contract of employment without penalty," he said.

"However, with the agreement of both, there should be the option to continue the employment on a year-by-year basis."

He added that in the absence of a default retirement age, it may result in employers instigating capability proceedings against elderly employees in order to dismiss them.

"I think that would be deeply regrettable for both sides and particularly distressing for the older person," he said.

However, Tony Pond, managing director of Kent-based First Choice Group, said that young people and graduates can benefit from the wider experiences older employees have.

"In that sense it actually helps them. Older people can be a great asset to a company, a prime example being someone we took on a few years ago who was aged 68 when he joined First Choice Group and 73 when he left us.

"He was extremely energetic, full of ideas and passionate about what he did. It all depends on the individual and the specific job role."

He added that organisations should be looking to adapt and employ people from both ends of the age range.

Last week, Unite warned the proposals could present risks for the print industry.  

Unite assistant general secretary Tony Burke warned that there are "a number of downsides" to the proposal, claiming some industry equipment, coupled with particular shift patterns, could be "quite onerous to people once they get into their 60s".

BPIF corporate affairs director Andrew Brown said he believed the government wanted to keep skills in the economy.

He warned that this could mean it will be more difficult to recruit younger people into the industry if there are large numbers of older staff.