The Great Recession may be over, but Americans are still putting retirement on hold, and it's not just for financial reasons, according to a new survey released Thursday by Harris Poll for CareerBuilder.
The survey found that 58 percent of workers 60 and older say they are delaying retirement, compared with a peak of 66 percent of people this age who were putting off retirement in 2010.
When asked the reasons for the delay, 79 percent say they can't afford to retire; 61 percent say they need health insurance and other benefits; 49 percent enjoy their jobs; 46 percent enjoy where they work; and 27 percent are afraid retirement will be boring.
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"Many people love their jobs and love the people they work with. They like getting up and going to work. They like the routine. The thought of having to sit home and come up with a plan every day is not for everybody, but it works for some," said Michael Erwin, senior career adviser for CareerBuilder.com.
The survey also found that women are more likely to say they will put off retiring than men, 71 percent to 49 percent; 18 percent of women this age actually say they will never be able to retire, compared to 7 percent of men who say the same.
And 45 percent of people 60 and older say they will look for other work when they retire. That's down from 60 percent who said that in late 2010. Favorite options for post-retirement work include consulting, retail and customer service.
This age group is "resourceful, and they'll figure out how to continue to work if that's something they want to do," said Erwin.
The findings are based on a national survey conducted in late 2013 of 433 full-time workers ages 60 and older, and 2,201 hiring and human resource managers.
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