Data says Americans are living longer and healthier, but a majority of surveyed pre-retirees say they still want to stop working when they hit retirement age, according to a report by LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute.
The research found that 56% of pre-retirees between the ages of 55 and 64 said they plan to stop working entirely, and more than two-thirds of recent retirees said they feel the same way.
Twenty-seven percent of pre-retirees said that they want to work part-time, and 17% said they plan to gradually reduce their hours before they stop working. As for retirees, 19% continued to work part-time and 17% gradually reduced their hours. The report’s findings were based on a survey of people aged 55 to 71.
Those who continue to work indicate that they do so to remain intellectually active, to get money for discretionary spending, to stay physically active and to remain socially engaged, LIMRA said.
Among recent retirees, the top three reasons for continuing to work are spending money (32%), work enjoyment (19%) and staying intellectually engaged (14%).
The survey found women are more likely to phase into retirement than men. A quarter of recent female retirees versus 16% of male recent retirees gradually transitioned into retirement, the survey said.
The report theorized that men might be less likely to phase into retirement because it is more difficult for them to adjust outside of their pre-retirement job functions. For instance, 23% of men worked in managerial job functions before retirement compared with 13% of women.
About 1,000 people were surveyed for the report, LIMRA said.