The Graying Work Force

My 73-year-old father is retired, sort of. He works as a greeter in a grocery store in Calgary, Alberta, juggling shifts at work with caring for my young niece, who stays with my parents after school until my sister finishes work. You’ve likely seen someone like him in action — an elderly man or woman who says hello when you walk in, steers you to the right aisle and wishes you good day on your way out.

My dad, who puts in about 20 hours a week, stands on his feet for hours and sometimes works late shifts until midnight. Every now and then, he deals with shoplifters trying to sneak past his post. And yet he says this is the best job he’s ever had.

Until recently, working after retirement sounded like an oxymoron. Aren’t those years supposed to be devoted to volunteering, traveling and visiting grandchildren? But a recent report by the Families and Work Institute and Boston College’s Sloan Center on Aging and Work found that a growing number of people continue to work for pay following their official “retirements.” And while they may be motivated by money, many like my father are finding their late-life jobs unexpectedly fulfilling.

Older workers “expect they have to, and they want to, extend their labor force participation,” said Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes, director of the center and the study’s co-author. In fact, 75 percent of the participants over age 50 in the center’s study said they expect to have jobs after they “retire.” Already, roughly a quarter of older workers switch occupations after age 50, according to Richard Johnson, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C.

The federal Department of Labor estimates that between 2006 and 2016, the number of workers over age 55 will rise 36.5 percent. That increase will create the grayest labor force since the government began tracking this data, Mr. Johnson said.

Gray or not, my father strongly believes working keeps you healthy. “Any day I work, I feel good,” he said. He also believes the routine helps him sleep better.

“Workers who change jobs at older ages say they are more likely to enjoy the new job than the old job,” Mr. Johnson said. Of workers over age 65, more than 90 percent say they enjoy their jobs — a higher proportion than among young people, he noted.

In the Sloan Center study, so-called retirement workers reported a better family-life balance than those not yet retired — possibly because, like my dad, respondents found themselves in more satisfying work environments. Retirement workers were happier than retired non-workers because they took satisfaction in their contributions to household expenses, to the family and to their workplaces.

“Older workers describe it as a way of keeping young — that’s often the language they use,” said Ms. Pitt-Catsouphes. “They want to work because they enjoy the people they are working with or they want to be productive.”

My father was a mechanic and machine operator in a meat factory for years before he retired. This marks the first time he can meet and chat with customers. And using English — not his native language — is part of the job, a daily challenge he relishes.

“This kind of job I’ve never had in my life,” he told me. “You see?”

Of course, most people work at older ages because they need the income. More than half the retirement workers in the Sloan study said they wanted to earn enough to live more comfortably when they really retire.

My mother, scheduled to retire last January, told me she kept her hotel job to stay active and avoid boredom. But when I asked what she would do if she won the lottery, she said she would quit immediately: “I would just stay home and take care of the family.”

In this economy, my parents’ combined pension is not enough to live on. Many older adults have suffered huge investment losses, and low interest rates reduce the income for those relying on savings and investments. A report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute found that nearly half of the oldest cohort of baby boomers may not have enough money for basic retirement expenses and uninsured health care costs.

Political developments may not make the situation easier for them. Recently President’s Obama’s bipartisan commission on reducing the national debt suggested gradually raising the Social Security retirement age to 69, a move that would transform many retirement workers into simply workers.

Still, my dad insists that even if he had a winning lottery ticket, he wouldn’t give up his retirement job: “I would still want to work, because I want to meet those people, all kinds of people.”