Older workers to delay retirement

A CIPD survey of 2000 older workers sheds light on people's thoughts about retirement. 71 per cent of those aged 55 and above now plan to work on past state pension age, compared with just 40 per cent in a similar survey conducted two years ago.

Although financial reasons were given as a driver for wanting or having to work on, there were plenty of other motivations cited in the survey.

Sixty-five per cent said they would like to continue using their skills and experience.

Fifty-eight per cent said they wanted the social interaction that work brings and 44 per cent said work was good for their self esteem.

The older people get, or the closer to state pension age, the more likely they are to be planning to work on, the survey shows, suggesting that “reality bites as they get close to drawing their pension”.

Nearly half of those aged 45 to 54 expect to work on past a state pension age that on current plans will rise to 66 in 2026 and 67 in 2036.

In recent years, the numbers working on past state pension age have been one of the fastest growing sections of the workforce.

The most recent figures from the Office of National Statistics show that more than 1.4m are currently working past state pension age – 450,000 men aged over 65 and 953,000 women aged over 60.

Over the past year, that section of the workforce has risen by 5.8 per cent when employment has fallen for almost all other age groups.