What is a Retirement Job?

RetirementJobs.com Staff Writers

It used to be an oxymoron. Retirement meant leaving the workforce. But now, age 50+ workers are redefining retirement. And work is often a very important part of their plans.

Researchers are finding that, more and more, people in their so-called “retirement years” (broadly defined as age 50 and over) are planning to work in some way. A recent national Work trends survey finds that nearly 7 in 10 workers plan full or part-time jobs for pay following retirement from their main job. 14% will volunteer, while just 13% expect to stop working entirely.

What is a Retirement Job?
A retirement job is any kind of work you do after you retire from your long term career or return to work after age 50.

The possibilities are as varied as the people pursuing them. A retirement job can be anything from working part time in a nearby store to contracting with large companies as a consultant to turning a hobby like gardening into a part time landscape design business to starting a new career as a teacher.

While the type of work varies, there are certain aspects most people are looking for when they consider a retirement job.

Flexibility Is Key, Says RetirementJobs.com Survey
RetirementJobs.com conducted a survey asking you to define your ‘ideal retirement job scenario’ by rating the importance of fourteen job factors (see chart below).

The majority of baby boomers and seniors we heard from said they are seeking a retirement job that is “flexible.” You described “flexible” as including a partial day (e.g., 9am – 3pm), a partial week (e.g., Monday through Wednesday), or a partial year (e.g., January through June).

You also placed importance on a job that was “close to home.” And you defined “close to home” as either a short commute (less than 30 minutes) or even something “from home”.

Having fun and connecting with customers were also important, while working long hours in a competitive environment was not.

WHAT’S IN WHAT’S OUT
Flexibility: Partial day, week or year 60-hour workweeks
Staying closer to home / Telecommuting Long commutes; traveling non-stop for work
Being an individual contributor where you complete shorter, assigned tasks whose outcome you mostly control; Being managed by someone much younger Managing large teams; taking on big organizational mandates with significant risk and stress
Finding a fun, challenging, secure and stable job and staying in it for a long time Job hopping more regularly to improve pay or title
A readiness to trade pay for a suitable work/life balance (job pay is a supplement to investment and Social Security income) Needing big raises every year to meet rising living and/or child-rearing costs
Competing for business results in the marketplace Competing with your peers for promotions within the company and face-time with the boss
Providing advice to people who value your work & life experience; being a mentor to younger workers Being mentored yourself by a mature, experienced worker
Developing relationships with customers who love your reliable and service-oriented style, trust you because they’re older too, and may know you from previous personal or business dealings in the community Developing relationships through heavy time investments (e.g., industry conferences)
Giving back to society; working for “meaning” What’s in it for me?
A readiness to be trained and learn new tricks, such as specific computer programs Not having time to focus on learning new things
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