Here’s a question for you. If you asked most of your retired older adult friends how many would return to the workforce, what percentage do you think would say they would? Would you say 10%, 30% or 50%? According to the American Working Conditions Survey (AWCS) with findings from research conducted by investigators at RAND Corporation, Harvard Medical School and UCLA, more than half of retirees (56%) said they would return to work under the right conditions. Were you surprised? Of these retirees, there were 40% non-college graduates and 60% college graduates. Actually, nearly 40% of those who were previously retired have already returned to the workforce after finding opportunities they considered to be the right conditions for meeting their personal financial needs and/or for workplace satisfaction.
Returning to the workforce, is not always easy for older adults who may be judged based on ageist views of those who do the hiring and make unfair assumptions about older adults’ physical abilities, technology skills, and flexibility in trying new approaches. As a former school principal, I, along with members of our local school interview committee, interviewed potential staff members of various ages. We had no problem hiring teachers over 50 who were qualified and who brought an enhanced level of maturity and experience to a position. Several of them had stopped working to raise families and were looking forward to fulfilling their love for teaching. Some of them mentioned that they felt they had been overlooked at previous job interviews because of their age, even though that was not stated to them outright because of laws. Personally, I have found most of these older adults returning to work to be excellent.
Why do many older adults want to continue working into their 70’s and even their 80’s? The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that 22% of adults 65 and older will still be in the workforce by 2024. This video shares more insights about these upcoming concerns.
Frances Shani Parker, Author
Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer
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