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Older workers rethink retirement age

By Jessica Inman, Orlando Sentinel on

Published in Senior Living Features

Randy Hunt is driven by hunger. The CEO of Central Florida's Area Agency on Aging yearns to end malnourishment among the oldest members of the community.

As he works toward that end, he also finds reason to defer his own retirement -- for at least a few more years.

"There's things I want to accomplish, and I believe I have the skill and abilities to do that," said Hunt, who is 67. "In addition to solving local hunger, Hunt wants to contribute to a culture of overall wellness. "I think that's going to take all that experience we have and then some."

Hunt isn't alone in redefining his own retirement age.

In recent years, for reasons spanning economic to cultural, older adults are working longer, experts say, with more than 80 percent of people in their 60s planning to work past 65 or no longer planning to retire at all, a Transamerica Center Study states.

Florida has seen the segment of employed adults 65 and up reach about 17 percent in 2014 -- compared with about 11 percent in 2003, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"The way the baby boomers were raised, they are less likely than their parents to hang it all up and step away from everything and sit on the beach, the golf course," said Jeff Johnson, AARP Florida state director. "They are changing careers, starting new businesses at a time when the past generation would have been in retirement."

Linda Rimmer, vice president at Goodwill Industries of Central Florida Inc., said she has seen an influx in older workers at job-connection centers in the area, a strong work ethic imbued in them from their parents who might have lived through the Depression.

"They don't want to stop thinking," she said. "They want to be useful."

Rimmer said that in the nine job-connection centers throughout the six counties that Goodwill serves, there are several learning opportunities for older adults who wish to re-enter the work force.

There are free computer courses, smartphone courses and courses on how to become more attractive to employers, open to all working ages. There are computers available to do job searches and people to talk with about the hunt. There is software to facilitate education, and classes about software. There are job listings.

"We have a lot of older workers in Goodwill because we have a lot of part-time jobs," Rimmer said. "Something they can do for a short time during the week."

CareerSource Central Florida offers a course targeted to older adults among its palette of classes designed for people looking for work. The free class attracted 132 participants in the past six months, said spokesman Larry Krause.

For low-income seniors, Senior Community Service Employment Program offers a way for people 55 and older whose household income is at or below 125 percent of the federal poverty level to gain training as they work.

 

The U.S. Department of Labor calls attention to that program, as well as to the growth of this working demographic in "National Employ Older Workers Week," which is next week.

"I don't want to wake up at 75 and have to come back to work. I'd rather work longer now and contribute," Hunt said.

Alicia Ramirez, who has been on staff with the city of Orlando for 14 years and who has worked for the government for decades, feels similarly. Ramirez, the Hispanic Office of Local Assistance manager, plans to explore a new venture upon retirement -- a soap-making business -- but she doesn't want to have to worry about finances.

"I'd rather stay for four more years than do this [soap making] for money," said the 61-year-old, though she doesn't mind the idea of profitability as a byproduct of her new passion and hopes to make enough to cover her expenses. "I have a steady job, income, benefits. I don't need to transition and then have lack of income."

More than 50 percent of retirees in their 60s continue to work, according to the Transamerica Center study. For many, the decision is a financial one, the study reports.

Randy Hunt plans to help his wife with children's books inspired by their pug, Vinny. So far, they've created a few rough drafts in their spare time.

But he's not ready for retirement just yet.

"I've got to give it my best measure," he said of his career goals. "Whether we solve it or not."

jinman@tribpub.com or 407-420-5002

(c)2015 The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Fla.)

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