The American Working Conditions Survey Finds That Nearly Half of Retirees Would Return to Work

With baby boomers reaching retirement age, the Social Security system is stressed, and economic growth is slowing. In response, many experts recommend encouraging older workers to extend their careers. This resource explores whether working conditions allow older workers to keep working, and if they even want to continue working.

What Do Older Workers Want, and Is the Workplace Supplying It?

• Older Workers Want Meaningful Work, and They Have More of It Than Younger Peers.
• Research suggests that meaningful work is a key reason that older workers delay retirement. The AWCS shows that more than two-thirds of older workers reported that they felt satisfaction over work well done and felt that they were doing useful work — with no real differences between older men and women.
• Flexibility in Both Hours Worked and Schedule Is Important, and More Older Workers Have Both.
• Research shows that workplace flexibility to manage conflicts between work and family life is important to retaining older workers. The AWCS shows that older workers have more flexibility than their prime-age peers, but this is largely due to the inclusion of college graduates.
• Older Workers View Work Relationships as Providing Less Support Than Younger Workers Do.
• Research shows that older workers strongly desire "constructive relationships" in the workplace — things like support from co-workers and supervisors and a supportive work environment. Older workers are less likely than younger workers to report that their boss is supportive, cooperation with colleagues is good, and conflicts are resolved fairly.
• Older Workers Do Less Fast-Paced Work Than Their Younger Counterparts, but Their Jobs' Physical Requirements Are Still Considerable.
• People's stamina, strength, balance, vision, and hearing tend to decline as they age, and these changes can put older workers at risk of injury or developing physical limitations at work.
• Retirement Is a Fluid Concept; There Are Many Ways to Keep Older Workers Engaged and Entice Them Out of Retirement.
• Working conditions could play an important role in unleashing the substantial work potential of retired workers or those close to retirement. The AWCS suggests that keeping older Americans engaged by giving them control over when and how they do their work, accommodating their changing physical capacities, and improving their connection with co-workers may be appropriate places to start.

(This report is 2 pages long.)

The researchers identified the following findings:

• More older workers report having meaningful work and a fair amount of workplace flexibility compared with their prime-age counterparts, according to the AWCS.
• Though existing research found that older workers want constructive work relationships, the AWCS found that older workers perceive that they have less support than younger workers do.
• Nearly half of retirees would return to work under the right conditions — and a large number already have.

• Last Updated:
• Created:
• Resource Publication Date: 2020
• Author(s): Maestas, N.; Mullen, K.J.; Powell, D.; von Wachter, T.; Wenger, J.B.
• Funding Source: RAND Corporation: National Defense Research Institute
• Resource Availability: Publicly available
• Posted by: Wesley Peterson
• Posted in: Workforce System Strategies