More than two-thirds (68%) of over-50s would consider retraining to work longer in retirement, according to research by MetLife.
Its research, which surveyed more than 2,500 employees, found that financial pressures and a lack of sufficient retirement savings are the drivers behind employees working longer.
Just over half (55%) of respondents over the age of 50 admitted to not being financially well prepared for retirement.
As a result, 63% of respondents over 50 are looking at potentially lengthening their working lives, with 50% also considering learning new skills to continue in full or part-time employment.
Among all respondents, the research found that 71% would consider working beyond traditional retirement ages, with just one in three (31%) of respondents expecting to retire completely from full-time work.
Other drivers among over-50s to continue working into retirement include respondents missing the social interaction (30%) and feeling that work gives them a sense of purpose (29%).
Dominic Grinstead, managing director of MetLife, said: “It is striking that many over-50s are considering retraining to become more flexible at work just as pensions are being changed to be more flexible.
“The numbers contemplating working in retirement, whether it is full-time or part-time, shows that as the retirement landscape changes and people prefer to phase retirement, flexible income solutions will be needed to enable people to make the best possible use of pension freedoms.
“Many savers will need certainty about future income and capital, so providers will have to develop solutions offering flexibility combined with increasing use of income or capital guarantees.”
