Enjoy the article, don't forget to read my synopsis at the bottom
"Sixty-five is the normal retirement age, but many older Americans are working much later in life and it's not just because they need the money.
The number of workers who are 75 and older has skyrocketed by 76.7% in the past two decades, according to research by the AARP Public Policy Institute. "We are living longer, healthier lives," says Kerry Hannon, author of Great Jobs for Everyone 50+. "And the types of work that people do is not as labor intensive as it was in our parents' generation."Sixty-five is the normal retirement age, but many Americans are working much later in life, and it's not just because they need the money.
There are a number of reasons why Americans workers may decide to put off retirement. Some may just love their jobs; others may need more money. But even those who have socked away plenty of cash are often terrified about rising medical bills and want to keep earning, Hannon says.
While the 75-plus group of workers has jumped, it's still a small percentage of the American labor force. It represented 7.6% last year, up from 4.3% in 1990.
But there might be more 75-plus workers if it were easier for them to keep their jobs. "I really love my work, and I feel quite useful," says Judge John J. Driscoll, a juvenile court judge in Westmoreland County, Pa. But because he turned 70 last year, he now faces mandatory retirement.
Instead of quietly retiring in January, Driscoll joined five other Pennsylvania judges in a lawsuit seeking to have the right to continue working past age 70. The case, filed in November, claims that Pennsylvania's mandatory retirement provision discriminates against people on the basis of age.
It's hard to know how many older workers are also forced to retire. But there is a growing number of older Americans who are not retired and are in search of a job. The number of unemployed Americans age 75 and older increased from 11,000 in 1990 to 75,000 in 2011, according to
AARP.
Some might have lost their jobs during the recession and haven't been able to find another. "The longer you have been out of the labor force, the less likely you are to come back in," says Sara Rix, senior strategic policy adviser at the AARP Public Policy Institute. "There is the question about skills, whether you have what employers want because technology has kept changing while you've been out of work."
American who are 75 and older tend to have certain types of jobs. For example, 25% have professional occupations, such as doctors and lawyers, while another 25% have jobs in retail trades, Rix says.
Older Americans in search of jobs should consider growing fields, such as health, education and not-profit organizations, Hannon says. "All kinds of small businesses need people with expertise," she says. "Then you can have a part-time gig with flexible schedules.""
I found this article
interesting for multiple reasons. First, as a resident of Pennsylvania, it was
surprising that an employer can give you the nudge into retirement from your
job; if you can no longer do the work, or are significantly slowing down a process,
it is understandable. The other zinger is the percentage of people who aren't
ready to stop working, go old people!
People who are getting
up in their years to stop working, is a hindrance on their longevity. This
conversation is always a good one to see what other people think: if you
continue your lifestyle through adulthood and into old age, such as work,
activities, so on and so forth, will that help make your body forget how old it
is? Will continuing to live a proactive lifestyle ward off the sedentary
lifestyle of retirement that too many people accept.
A quote I use relatively often to
people I speak with, is that age is but a number; life is what you make it.
As a person in his mid-20's, I am clearly wet behind the ears on this
topic, but logic steers me in that direction. If you can avoid illness and
injury, and keep rolling with the punches, there should not be a reason you can't
ward off your meeting with St. Peter a little longer than expected.
So now that it is 2013, New Years resolutions in place, but slowing to a
halt; keep that resolution at the gym a little longer, try to run a 5k, join a
zumba class, go for a walk with your significant other. Studies show that a
half an hour of activity a day cannot only increase your lifespan, but your
health benefits sky rocket. It is all about determination and dedication,
change, and focus.
Life is for the living my friends, cheers!
