The Push and Pull of Work and Retirement

Some retirees are returning to work

Over the first three waves of this data, “unretirement” has remained largely unchanged. In summer 2026, 6% of retirees reported returning to work from retirement in the past six months, largely matching summer 2025 (6%) and winter 2025 (7%) rates. These “unretirees” continue to be pulled back into the labor force largely by economic need (48%).  This far outpaces boredom or a desire to stay active (18%). 

Health and financial readiness strongly influence retirement decisions

Health concerns and financial readiness remain the leading factors shaping retirement decisions. Among retirees, the most common primary reasons for initially retiring remain having an illness or disability (21%) and having enough money to retire (21%). Eligibility for Social Security (16%) and pension benefits (15%) is also a common retirement trigger.

Retirees also appear slightly more confident about the timing of their retirement than in past waves. Seven in 10 (71%) say they retired at the right time, while 24% feel they retired too early, an improvement from winter 2025 (68% and 28%, respectively).

Economic necessity keeps a large portion of the 50+ population in the workforce

Financial necessity remains the dominant reason that older adults work or seek employment. Among adults age 50-plus who are working or looking for work, 39% say their most important reason is the need for money to cover basic living expenses. No other reason approaches this level.

The next most common reasons are enjoying work (10%), keeping busy (8%), saving for retirement (7%), and maintaining health insurance coverage (6%).

Retirement expectations may be stabilizing somewhat. The share of workers who expect to retire later than planned declined to 20%, down from 23% in both prior waves, while the proportion expecting to retire at their originally planned time increased to 46%.

Among those delaying retirement, rising costs remain the leading factor. More than two-thirds (68%) cite higher costs of living as a reason for postponing retirement, up from 58% in summer 2025. Household debt (37%) has also become more prominent, as has financial support for adult children (16%, doubled from 9% in winter 2025).

Older workers are pessimistic about finding new jobs, most commonly due to age discrimination

Older Americans continue to believe that finding a new job would be challenging. Two-thirds (67%) say it would be difficult to find work if they were job hunting today, virtually unchanged from winter 2025. Nearly one-third (31%) say it would be very difficult.

Age discrimination remains the most frequently cited barrier. Among those who expect difficulty finding work, 35% identify age discrimination as the primary reason, making it the leading concern by a wide margin. Health issues or disability rank second at 23%.

Although labor market concerns remain elevated, workers appear relatively secure in their current positions. Only one-quarter (25%) are concerned about losing their job within the next year, a figure that has remained stable since winter 2025 and below the level observed in summer 2025 (29%).

Methodology

Summer 2026 interviews were conducted over two months: May 14 to 18, 2026 and June 17 to 22, 2026, among 2,065 adults age 50-plus in the Foresight 50+ Omnibus, including n=116 unretirees, n=1,337 retirees, and n=1,062 in the workforce.

Winter 2025 interviews were conducted over two months: November 13 to 17, 2025, and December 11 to 16, 2025, among 2,083 adults age 50-plus in the Foresight 50+ Omnibus, including n=136 unretirees, n=1,323 retirees, and n=1,124 in the workforce.

Summer 2025 Interviews were conducted over two months:  July 17 to 28, 2025, and August 15 to 18, 2025, among 2,362 adults 50-plus in the Foresight 50+ Omnibus, including n=154 unretirees, n=1,554 retirees, and n=1,198 in the workforce.

Funded and operated by NORC at the University of Chicago, Foresight 50+ by AARP and NORC is a probability-based panel designed to be representative of the U.S. household population 50 and older. Interviews were conducted online and via phone. All data are weighted by age, sex, education, race/ethnicity, region, and AARP membership to be nationally representative of adults age 50-plus in the U.S. 

For more information, please contact Rebecca Perron at rperron@aarp.org. For media inquiries, contact media@aarp.org.