Many people plan to work beyond state pension age, study suggests

Two out of five people surveyed said they believed they could not afford to retire Credit: Yui Mok/PA

One in three people plan to work beyond their state pension age, mainly for financial or health reasons, a new study suggests.

A survey of 2,000 adults indicated that half planned to stay in work to keep busy, meet new people and learn new skills.

Two out of five believed they could not afford to retire, with the figure rising to 51% for respondents aged between 35 and 44.

One in 10 of those questioned by jobs site restless.co.uk, which targets older workers, said they planned to work full-time, while one in four would continue in part-time roles.

The report also revealed subtle gender disparities, with 57% of men saying they planned to continue working out of choice, compared to 44% of women.

One in three women said they planned to volunteer after reaching the state pension age, while 22% of men said the same.

Stuart Lewis, founder of Rest Less, said: “Our population is ageing and we can all look forward to longer, more active working lives.

“The health and well-being benefits of continuing to work into retirement are well documented and it’s encouraging to see a large proportion of the population planning to continue working in a full or part-time role.

“The depressing fact is that for 40% of those planning to work beyond the state pension age, it’s not out of a lifestyle choice but simply because they cannot afford to retire.”