Work

Back to Work: Expectations and Realizations of Work after Retirement

Year: 2010

Type: article

Abstract: This paper analyzes a puzzling aspect of retirement behavior known as "unretirement." Nearly 50 percent of retirees follow a nontraditional retirement path that involves partial retirement or unretirement, and at least 26 percent of retirees later unretire. I explore two possible explanations: 1) unretirement transitions result from failures in planning or financial shocks; and 2) unretirement transitions are anticipated prior to retirement, reflecting a more complex retirement process. I show that unretirement was anticipated for the vast majority of those returning to work, and is not a result of financial shocks, poor planning or low wealth accumulation.

Source: The Journal of Human Resources

DOI: 10.3368/jhr.45.3.718

Author: Nicole Maestas

Institution: RAND Corporation

Language: English

Topic: Retirement, Disability, and Employment

Subfield: Demography

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Decent work and economic growth

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: Australian Government, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging