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Silver lining: The benefits of retirees returning to the workforce

April 5, 2023

Debra Duquette of Warren, Michigan, started a career as a licensed practical nurse but quit her job to take care of her elderly parents. Now, years later she finds herself at retirement age and in need of a job.

“I have to go back to work,” said Duquette, 69, who never worked long enough in the health care industry to earn a pension.

She also had surgery on her shoulder so that’s another hurdle for work.

“I can’t drive for six weeks,” Duquette said.

Once she is able to return to the workforce, she will be among hundreds of seniors and retirees considering employment after being out of the workforce for an average of four years.

The good news is there is work for Duquette and others in her age bracket and with her skill set, from nursing homes looking for RNs and LPNs to Information Technology Specialists for the U.S. Army Cyber Command, created by a workforce shortage in a number of industries.

“We’ve had more retirement workers leaving the workforce than younger workers entering it,” said Christopher Reilly, director of Michigan Works! “I’ve been working here for 19 years and that’s a deficit we’ve never dealt with before.”

The numbers

It is estimated about 1 in 6 retired Americans say they are mulling over whether to get a job, according to a recent study from Paychex.com, a human resource services company that works with small and medium-sized businesses.

The top 10 reasons cited by people surveyed for the report were:

• Personal reasons

• Needing more money

• Boredom

• Feeling lonely

• Inflation

• Stock Market Volatility

• Needing health insurance coverage

• Retirement not what I expected

• I enjoy working

• For more social engagement

During the pandemic America’s workforce saw a trend in which older workers, who only had a few years to go before retirement, decided to leave early rather than risk being sick or because of the stress related to it all.

However, while COVID-19 pandemic’s disruption of labor markets was massive, it had only a modest impact on retirement timing, according to recently released data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The big impact to the workforce during the pandemic was the shift to remote locations.

So, it’s no surprise more than half of the retired respondents in the recent study (53%) said they were looking for remote work. Others said they are looking for a hybrid situation (27%), while only 20% would seek an office job.

Of those looking for work, most said they wanted full-time positions (65%) rather than part-time (35%).

This could be due to a need for more money and a concern about inflation — which was among the top reasons retirees are returning to work.

Then again, boredom was also at the top of the list of reasons for returning to the workforce, since many of these people went from working 40 hours per week to not working at all.

Tapping the resource

Macomb County Office of Senior Services Director Sheila Cote in Michigan said whatever the reason retirees are returning to the workforce it has been good for their office and the community at large.

“We love hiring seniors who are retired,” said Cote.

They have hired retirees as food service aids for the many sites that provide seniors with a place for dining and engagement, as drivers for Meals on Wheels and for clerical duties.

“We also have some advocates who worked in the field for years who are working for us again,” she said. “We strongly believe in hiring individuals who are seniors or newly retired.”

Among the retirees who have been hired by senior services is Richard Philippi, 59 of Clinton Township, Michigan. Having worked for Macomb County Department of Public Works for 30 years he earned an early retirement but it was always his plan to not completely retire.

“I get my full pension because I’ve met the age and longevity of retirement requirements but it was always my plan to continue working part-time,” said Philippi, who was hired for the handyman program that provides seniors in Macomb County with small repairs and household projects they are unable to tackle for themselves.

The service is free and it goes a long way to support seniors’ independence and the ability to remain living in their own homes.

“It works out very well for me because I’m earning a little more income and I get to help people out,” said Philippi. He plans to travel with his wife, Kimberly, who is still working in retail, when they both finally retire.

Here are a few of the top reasons seniors are being hired:

• They don’t have conflicts of family life

• They are reliable

• Their potential to mentor others

• Strong work ethics

• Hiring shortages and a lack of applicants

Still, despite what they bring to the table there are employers concerned about their ability to culturally reintegrate, ignorance of industry trends, possible loss of job skill and motivation level.

Debra Duquette, 69, of Warren, Michigan, left her career as a nurse behind in order to take care of her parents. Now she’s among the retirees looking to return to the workforce. (GINA JOSEPH | THE MACOMB DAILY)

Hard working Americans

For the past few weeks French residents have clashed with police during demonstrations protesting the announcement of President Emmanuel Macron’s unpopular retirement reform.

The unrest has calmed slightly.

The country’s Interior Ministry put the number of demonstrators nationwide at 740,000, down from more than 1 million five days ago when protesters showed their rage at Macron’s order to ram the bill raising France’s legal retirement age from 62 to 64 through parliament without a vote.

In the U.S. it was 65 for years. Now its 66 for some and 67 for others.

According to the Social Security guidelines the full retirement age for Americans is 66 if you were born from 1943 to 1954. The full retirement age increases gradually if you were born from 1955 to 1960 until it reaches 67. For anyone born 1960 or later, full retirement benefits are payable at age 67.

Those who do not wish to retire but are looking for work will find a number of programs created to help including the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP).

“This is an income based job training program for unemployed seniors,” said Reilly.

Provided by a workforce grant, the program helps to connect hosting nonprofit agencies with individuals who might not have the skills to find a job.

“We set the individual up with a host agency and pay them a $10.10 stipend that matches minimum wage,” Reilly said.

It’s similar to a volunteer position except that workers are given a stipend for their time and the goal is not so much to earn money but to obtain better and more marketable skills. So, program graduates can obtain employment that pays higher than minimum wage.

Reilly knows of many who went through the program and impressed their host agency so much they were offered permanent employment.

Among the program’s success stories is an individual who was a teenager when he went to jail and a senior when he was released. Having no job skills to speak of, the man entered the SCSEP program and was so successful he was hired permanently for a job and has been rising through the ranks ever since.

“He was the nicest guy. He got himself where he needed to be and the place loved him to death,” Reilly said, noting the program currently has room for 25 more applicants.

His story is one of many successful examples of retirees or seniors who have improved their opportunities for employment through the program, which has been around since 2006. It supports 75 participants but could always use more nonprofits who might be interested in becoming host agencies.

Reilly — who believes inflation has taken its toll on a lot of people — said retirees looking to reenter the workforce can also find work on search engines like Pure Michigan Talent Connect. Unlike other job search sites it is free for Michiganders looking for employment and employers looking for workers.

“I think businesses are really missing out if they don’t consider older candidates,” Cote said. “I think it’s a great way to pass the baton to the next generation of workers.”

Orange County Register

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Silver lining: The benefits of retirees returning to the workforce

The numbers

Tapping the resource

Hard working Americans

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