Retirees could be the answer to staffing part-time positions

If you’re still short-staffed and looking for employees, we’ve got some terrific news! A new study found that 94% of people who said they were unemployed and 68% of retirees would consider returning to work.

The CNBC All-America Workforce Survey polled Americans online on how the pandemic changed their work and lives. Of the more than 2,000 respondents, 1,200 were employed, 450 were retirees and 400 were unemployed due to the pandemic.

Wants and needs

Many in the retiree category weren’t even planning on retiring. Sixty-seven percent said they departed the workforce at least two years earlier than they had planned. And the decision to retire was spurred by being laid off during the pandemic. Many were fearful of getting COVID-19 in the workplace, while others had to act as caretakers for family members.

Now that vaccines are available and remote work is so popular, many retirees and unemployed workers are considering reentering the workforce. Pandemic retirees said their top wants for returning to work were:

• flexible hours or part-time work
• work-life balance, and
• fair pay.

Benefits of bringing retirees back

Hiring retirees for part-time jobs brings some unique benefits:

1. Skills and experience – People 60 and older have lived through decades and have garnered all that life experience. There aren’t many challenges they haven’t faced or conquered. With retirees, skills likely already exist, shortening their time to onboard.
2. Iron-clad work ethic – It’s been shown absenteeism is less in older workers. They also take fewer days off (especially if they’re part-time) and stay at their jobs longer.
3. Require less training – Retired workers often need a lot less training than their younger counterparts. The only thing you’ll probably need to train them on is your job processes. Other than that, they know best practices because they’ve been doing it for years. They can also be a boon to your training program because they can pass on their knowledge by training younger workers.
4. Motivation isn’t about climbing the ladder – Retirees aren’t looking to work their way up the career ladder. Often, they’re just looking to keep social contacts and stay active mentally. Sure, they may need a certain salary to help maintain their lifestyle, but their reason for working is different than younger generations.  

Looking at your list of retirees and contacting them for part-time or full-time positions can be a great benefit to your company.