Retirement Is A Thing Of The Past?
Historically, once you’re fully eligible for social security and pension benefits—or just 65 and tired of the job—you exit the workforce and enjoy retirement in USA. But those days may be over, according to a recent study.
Most (57%) of the 800 surveyed workers age 60 and up said they would look for another gig after retiring from their current jobs.
“There are several reasons why more mature workers are delaying or foregoing retirement,” says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. “There have always been the retirees who pick up part-time jobs because they enjoy working as a means of fulfillment. However, when you combine those perpetual workers with ones who have to continue working to hold onto benefits, rebuild retirement savings lost in the recession, or earn supplemental income to make ends meet, the notion of retirement is completely different now from five years ago.”
When workers were asked how soon they thought they could retire from their current jobs, 11% said they didn’t think they’d ever be able to stop working!
Haefner says she’s seeing more people move away from the traditional definition of retirement and instead seek “rehirement.”
“‘Rehirement’ is a term that has been around for a while, but it speaks to the fact that the traditional, ideal notion of retirement–work hard for four decades and kick up your feet with no worries–isn’t in the cards for a majority of American workers,” she says. “More than half of people currently age 60-plus will have to continue working in some capacity for years after their official retirement, and one in 10 don’t think they’ll ever be able to retire.”
Most (57%) of the 800 surveyed workers age 60 and up said they would look for another gig after retiring from their current jobs.
“There are several reasons why more mature workers are delaying or foregoing retirement,” says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. “There have always been the retirees who pick up part-time jobs because they enjoy working as a means of fulfillment. However, when you combine those perpetual workers with ones who have to continue working to hold onto benefits, rebuild retirement savings lost in the recession, or earn supplemental income to make ends meet, the notion of retirement is completely different now from five years ago.”
When workers were asked how soon they thought they could retire from their current jobs, 11% said they didn’t think they’d ever be able to stop working!
Haefner says she’s seeing more people move away from the traditional definition of retirement and instead seek “rehirement.”
“‘Rehirement’ is a term that has been around for a while, but it speaks to the fact that the traditional, ideal notion of retirement–work hard for four decades and kick up your feet with no worries–isn’t in the cards for a majority of American workers,” she says. “More than half of people currently age 60-plus will have to continue working in some capacity for years after their official retirement, and one in 10 don’t think they’ll ever be able to retire.”
