Survey: Workers Embrace Alternatives to Traditional Retirement

The survey of 527 workers by the workforce solutions firm also found that 18% of respondents planned on retiring from their current career and trying something different and 12% predicted they will retire early, according to a press release on the survey.

“American workers want to contribute well into their older years, which not only enables them to continue earning a salary, but also helps companies maintain a high level of seasoned talent and institutional knowledge,” said Bernadette Kenny, senior vice president of Human Resources for Adecco North America, in the press release. “Companies who tap the older workforce will have a competitive advantage as the talent war continues to unfold,” as workers begin leaving the workforce over the next 15 years.

The survey also looked at how workers viewed their career opportunities, with 85% of American workers saying their career options are “promising.” That number rose even higher for business owners and those in management positions.

Men reported being more optimistic (88%) than women (81%) about their career opportunities.

The results are based upon telephone interviews conducted January 12-15, 2007 with a representative sample of 527 employed adults who were identified in an ORC CARAVAN survey of a nationally representative sample of 1,022 adults age 18 and over (507 of whom are men and 515 are women).