{"id":40902,"date":"2026-02-06T12:52:43","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T12:52:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/?p=40902"},"modified":"2026-02-06T12:52:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T12:52:43","slug":"some-older-americans-are-unretiring-to-keep-up-with-cost-of-living-aarp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/?p=40902","title":{"rendered":"Some older Americans are ‘unretiring’ to keep up with cost of living: AARP"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Nikola Stojadinovic | E+ | Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Some Americans ages 50 and over are exiting retirement and returning to work, according to a new AARP survey<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Most surveyed individuals who are \u201cunretiring<\/a>\u201d say they\u2019re motivated to make money amid today\u2019s high living costs<\/a>, the nonprofit organization, which represents people ages 50 and older, found.<\/p>\n

In the past six months, 7% of retirees have re-entered the labor force, up from 6% who said the same in summer 2025, according to AARP\u2019s survey results. The latest poll\u2019s results are based on responses from 2,083 adults aged 50 and up who were interviewed in November and December. That followed a summer survey of 2,362 adults ages 50 and over conducted in July and August. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis idea of retirement as a cliff, where we\u2019re all working towards this one day where we finally get to retire, is really not the reality for so many people in this country,\u201d said Carly Roszkowski, vice president of financial resilience programming at AARP.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Read more CNBC personal finance coverage<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The two most common reasons people retire are financial readiness or a health issue or disability, according to AARP. <\/p>\n

Of the people who are unretiring now, 48% said their primary reason is financial necessity or their economic outlook is poor, while 15% cited boredom and 14% said they want to stay active, AARP found.<\/p>\n

Among those surveyed who are working or looking for work, 41% said their biggest motivation is daily living costs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Unretiring can be a challenge<\/h2>\n
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Yet AARP\u2019s findings also showed that those workers do not necessarily find a welcoming labor market.<\/p>\n

More than two-thirds of older workers \u2014 67% \u2014 said it would be difficult to find a new job now, according to the results. Age discrimination was the top reason cited, followed by health issues or disability. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, almost one-quarter \u2014 24% \u2014 of older workers worry they could lose their jobs within the next year, the survey found. New data<\/a> shows January layoffs were the highest to start the year since the global financial crisis in 2009, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cJust because people aren\u2019t unretiring doesn\u2019t mean they don\u2019t need to,\u201d said Geoffrey Sanzenbacher, professor of the practice of economics at Boston College and a research fellow at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. He has researched the trend of unretirements<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Instead, those who remain in retirement could be limited in their ability to work by health conditions or lack of opportunities. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018People really are sensitive to inflation\u2019<\/h2>\n
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Older individuals now face a challenging combination of higher-than-normal inflation, stock volatility and a soft job market, Sanzenbacher said. <\/p>\n

Retirees typically rely either exclusively on Social Security \u2014 provided they have reached eligibility age<\/a> for retirement benefits \u2014 or a combination of those benefits and retirement investments, he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But if the stock market isn\u2019t providing necessary returns, and Social Security\u2019s annual cost-of-living adjustment doesn\u2019t provide enough of a financial boost<\/a>, that may drive people back to the labor market, Sanzenbacher said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople really are sensitive to inflation,\u201d Sanzenbacher said. \u201cEven if their incomes go up, I still think they feel pinched if the things they buy are a lot more expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n

The AARP is working to provide resources<\/a> to help older workers get hired. That includes a collaboration with job board Indeed to aggregate listings<\/a> at organizations that value older workers and employees of all ages, according to Roszkowski. <\/p>\n

Have you recently returned to work from retirement and are willing to share your story? Email <\/strong><\/em>lorie.konish@cnbc.com<\/strong><\/em><\/a>.<\/strong><\/em> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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