- According to analyses conducted as part of the Human Capital Balance project, people of pre-retirement and retirement age are increasingly becoming professionally active.
- In 2017, the employment rate for people aged 55-64 was 46.9%, and in 2022 it will be 56.3%. For comparison, the employment rate for the age group 35-54 was 84%, and for the group 18-34 it was 70% (due to continuing education).
- According to ZUS data, in 2017 there were over 689 thousand working retirees in Poland, and in 2023 there will be 854 thousand. Increases in professional activity are visible both in the pre-retirement period and in the 65+ age group. Importantly, this applies to both women and men.
There are several reasons for the increased activity. Firstly, some people reaching retirement age, especially those with higher education, are still able to work, and since they are needed due to their experience (including doctors, health service, teachers), they receive job offers and take advantage of them. Secondly, some people, despite reaching retirement age, receive benefits that are too low compared to their consumer needs, i.e. the need to cover essential living expenses and simply have to continue working to make up for the shortfall in their income. There is also a group of people who do not have to, but want to continue to be professionally active, not only to work socially without remuneration, further developing their passions – says Prof. Jolanta Perek-Białas, Head of the Center for Evaluation and Analysis of Public Policies at the Jagiellonian University.
Increasing educational activity
Many people not only want to work as long as possible, but also increasingly learn informally, for example from online, printed materials or television and radio programs. Almost 70% of the surveyed Silvers undertake various types of educational activities. Despite this, there are not that many seniors who take advantage of the rich offer of the large and widely developed offer of universities of the third age operating throughout Poland or other forms of activation (including physical activity within other forms, e.g. clubs or senior centers).
Retirement decisions
Just a dozen or so years ago, ending professional work at retirement age was something obvious for a large group of people. Currently, there are increasing changes in the attitude of people of pre-retirement and retirement age towards retirement. Interestingly, at the same time, the percentage of people who want to retire as early as possible is growing (21.8% in 2022 and 15.6% in 2017) as well as those who would like to work as long as possible or do not want to finish working at all (16.2% in 2022 and 9.9% in 2017).
Many people, despite their increasingly advanced age, still enjoy good condition and health and want to continue to fulfill their professional goals. At the same time, a growing group of people who know their financial situation realize that they cannot afford to stop working and retire.
What makes some people want to work as long as possible?
Analyses of extending professional activity indicate that decisions to continue employment are not only determined by individual desires and possibilities or needs, but also by the context in which one worked before retiring. Here, the role of employers is significant, to what extent the work brought satisfaction. Legal solutions such as tax relief, additional discounts or the possibility of additional savings for retirement are also important – adds Prof. Jolanta Perek-Białas.
Many employees approaching retirement age find it difficult to make a decision about continuing or ending their professional careers because they do not know the employer's expectations in this regard. Before retirement, employees relatively often do not know what plans their employer has for them and what they can expect when they reach retirement age. This is indicated by every fourth employee. This may be due to the fact that employers do not communicate their plans for employees at all, too late or insufficiently clearly, as well as low awareness of employees in terms of planning their professional activity after reaching retirement age.
– Data indicates that more and more people are professionally active despite reaching retirement age. There are several generations on the labor market, with completely different needs. When implementing projects in companies regarding human capital management, it is worth taking into account this diversity and what people from different age groups need to perform well at work – says Paulina Zadura, director of the Department of Analysis and Strategy of the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development.
