There’s a lot going on in America these days, especially with the economy. Gas is high, interest is up, and inflation continues to rear its ugly head, continually shrinking the value of the once almighty dollar.
Perhaps it makes sense then, that more people than ever are returning to work post-retirement. But for those formally retired employees or what would be on-the-cusp retiree hopefuls out there, is their return to the workforce really out of simple financial necessity, or for some, is it something else entirely?
This week, the Daily Democrat took to the Clinton community to find out.
Interviewing several employees from several different businesses around town, a couple things quickly became clear. First, the economy, for the most part played the biggest factor. Specifically, inflation and gas prices which have, according to several formally retired employees, “made it impossible” to live off of social security post retirement without some sort of income supplement. These same employees expressed their frustration too, that even with the supplemental income from their job, making ends meet was still a struggle, and would continue to be a struggle barring drastic changes within the economy.
The second thing that became clear in these interviews is that the majority of employees interviewed preferred to remain anonymous. One employee, however, Alison Gordon was kind enough to share her thoughts, as well as a picture. Alison, not yet retired but on-the-cusp, actually works two jobs within the community, both at Bucksaw and Old Crowe Winery. When asked about potential retirement, and what factors played a role in her decision to remain in the workforce, Alison indicated that while “yes” money did in fact play a factor, “staying in motion and having something to do” was probably the most important factor in her decision. Alison wasn’t alone in this sentiment, as many other employees indicated that staying busy was important to them, too. Actually, other than the economy, this was the single other significant motivating factor expressed by former and would-be retirees as their primary reason for either returning or staying within the workforce.
The Clinton community it seems, has spoken. And as it turns out, when it comes to the question of why both former and would-be retirees are still at work, it mostly boils down to two things: financial necessity in a floundering economy, and the essential need to keep busy. Perhaps for some these results are surprising, for others perhaps not. In either case, these answers at the very least offer some insight into why so many former and would be retirees forgo retirement to chug along in today’s workforce.
