More older workers plan to keep working

CHICAGO, Feb. 27 (UPI) — Six-of-10 U.S. workers age 60 or older would look for a new job once they retired from their current job, a nationwide survey found.

In a survey conducted in November by Harris Interactive for human resources firm CareerBuilder, older workers indicating they would find a new job after retiring rose from 57 percent in 2011 to 60 percent in 2012.

More than 1-in-10 — 12 percent — indicated they did not believe they would ever retire, CareerBuilder said.

Among workers age 60 or over 67 percent indicated they would retire in one to six years. Fifteen percent indicated they would retire in seven to 10 years or more.

CareerBuilder said “there is good news for mature workers who are putting off retirement” as employers are seeking mature workers who bring a wealth of knowledge to a job and can serve as mentors for others.

Forty-eight percent of employers surveyed indicated they planned to hire workers age 50 or older, CareerBuilder said.

“We’re seeing more than three-quarters of mature workers putting off retirement, largely due to financial concerns, but also as a personal decision made by people who enjoy their work,” said Brent Rasmussen, president of CareerBuilder North America.

“The majority of workers who have talked with their bosses about staying on past retirement found their companies to be open to retaining them. If you’re approaching retirement age but hope to continue working, an open line of communication is very important,” he said.

CareerBuilder recommended older workers who wanted to stay on the job stay current, find new ways to benefit their companies and utilize their networks to find opportunities.

The survey included 680 interviews with workers at least 60 years old and 2,600 hiring managers.

The results of the survey, it can be said with 95 percent certainty, have a sampling error or plus and minus 1.9 percentage points — with a sample group of 2,600 — or 3.75 percentage points — with a sample group of 680, CareerBuilder said.