Older Workers Stay on the Job as State Pension Falls Short of Living Costs

Mandy Kemp has worked since she was 16 and now serves as a practice manager for a financial adviser in Dover, Kent. She says her state pension alone would not pay the rent or her living costs, so she continues to work to support her husband, who cannot work due to health issues. While she enjoys the job and the routine, she describes the future as "very uncertain" and worries she would need redundancy or a lottery win to survive without extra income.

Mandy told the BBC, "I only have a state pension, and it wouldn't pay the rent and my living costs." Dr Andrea Barry of the Centre for Ageing Better noted that over the past two decades, an increasing number of people have been working longer, a shift linked to longer lifespans and a rising state pension age. Jackie Haynes, who will turn 80 this year, said her part‑time role as an activity coordinator at a Sussex care home gives her friendship that "keeps me young."

The state pension age has risen from 65 to 66 and is scheduled to reach 67 by 2028, reducing the period retirees can rely solely on state support. At the same time, private pension coverage remains uneven; many workers, especially women who took career breaks for caregiving, lack sufficient savings to cover rising rents, which have climbed about 5% annually in the South East over the last three years. These pressures push older adults into part‑time or flexible roles to bridge the gap between state benefits and essential expenses.