Work and Income in Later Life

The New Retirement Picture

Retirement used to mean stepping back completely from work. Today, many older adults continue working — sometimes by choice, often by necessity. Rising costs, insufficient savings, and longer lifespans mean later-life work is now part of the income security story.

Why Older Adults Keep Working

• Financial need, especially as pensions and savings fall short.
• Healthcare costs and rising housing expenses that outpace fixed incomes.
• Purpose and connection, since work can provide identity, structure, and social networks.
• Flexible opportunities, like consulting, part-time roles, or encore careers in new fields.

The Barriers They Face

• Ageism in hiring, where skills and experience are overlooked.
• Health limitations, making some jobs difficult or impossible.
• Lack of flexibility, with workplaces slow to adapt to part-time or remote needs.
• Training gaps, especially in digital skills required for modern jobs.

Building a Fairer Landscape

• Anti-ageism policies and workplace culture shifts.
• Reskilling and training programs tailored for older workers.
• Flexible and hybrid roles that adapt to health and caregiving realities.
• Recognition of caregiving, so those supporting spouses or grandchildren aren’t penalized financially.

The Question

If work in later life is becoming more common, then it must be supported with fairness and dignity. Which leaves us to ask:
how can we reshape workplaces and policies so that older adults who want — or need — to work can do so with respect, opportunity, and security?