Cash strapped people aged over 50 should consider delivering takeaways as a new career, says Government minister Mel Stride.
He made his comments on a visit to food delivery firm Deliveroo in London.
Mr Stride, the Work and Pensions Minister, said:
“There are loads of great opportunities out there for people.
“And it’s good for people to consider options they might not have otherwise thought of.
“You really do need to sensibly stop, take where you are in life, and assess whether for example you’ve got enough money to get you through with the kind of lifestyle and living standards that you’re expecting.”
His suggestion came as the Government tries to place more people back into work.
A record 2.5 million people are off with a long-term illness.
And more than 8.6 million people are classed as economically inactive by the Office for National Statistics – including 3.4 million who are over 50 but below the age of retirement.