More than half of employed Americans (51%) say they will work forever. And before this latest run of high unemployment, I would have said that’s good news….
Why? Because…
- the baby boomer in me says yes, let’s not stop contributing to society or ever give up on our dream, and
- the adventurer in me says yes, let’s continue to reinvent ourselves and find new positions that fit our lifestyle, and
- the technocrat in me says yes, let’s embrace how now we can do what we want when we want to, and
- the pragmatist in me says yes, let’s make sure we create our own safety net and don’t rely on the government.
But now, I’m not entirely sure if this vision of “working forever” espouses good news.
- Nearly half of Americans have experienced a job loss in their household (either themselves or someone else) in the past six months (20%) or are worried that they will experience a job loss in the coming six months (26%).
So perhaps the plan to work forever is not a choice but a fact of life. Approximately 3 in 4 working Americans say they are working now not because they want to, but because they have to…. And that data alone may be the strongest underlying explanation of why we plan to work forever.
Betti says
January 20, 2012 at 4:31 pmI think you are right, Peter. Working forever, not because it’s the preferred choice, but rather because it’s a fact of life if you want to eat, pay rent and have any leisure activities at all. Retiring to the “good life” is not on the horizons for many. And the end of pensions is contributing to that feeling as well, I think.