Nearly 25% of the U.S. workforce is now at or near retirement age, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In industries like insurance, healthcare, finance and education, the loss of experienced talent is already being felt. Roles remain unfilled longer. Productivity dips. Mentorship gaps widen.
While companies’ recruiting efforts are typically related to recruiting and retaining younger talent, a quiet opportunity is being overlooked: bringing retirees back into the fold. Tapping into the retiree population ensures that the next generation of workers is well prepared and well positioned.
What Older Workers Bring to the Table
Retirees offer both hard and soft skills that are difficult for companies to find. These skills include:
Institutional knowledge—understanding legacy systems, regulations, workflows and client histories.
Maturity and judgment developed from years of navigating change and challenges.
Mentorship capacity — the ability to train, support, and stabilize teams in transition.
Reliability, negotiation skills and a work ethic honed through decades of experience.
Many retirees are eager to engage, but the infrastructure for finding the right opportunities simply hasn’t kept pace.
Project-Based Work: A Natural Fit
For many retirees, short-term or part-time work is the ideal fit: It offers purpose, structure, social interactions and income without the long-term commitment of full-time employment. For companies, these engagements can help fill gaps quickly, with skilled talent and affordably — no need to pay for healthcare and other benefits.
Unlike traditional hiring, project-based work allows businesses and retirees to stay agile, scaling up or down as needs change.
The Role of Financial Advisors in Navigating ‘Unretirement’
Financial advisors have a unique vantage point. Clients often discuss their goals, fears and uncertainties around retirement. Increasingly, those conversations include a desire to keep working — not only out of necessity, but out of purpose.
Advisors can help:
Anticipate the conversation early. Don’t wait until retirement hits — encourage clients to explore what “work” might look like beyond full-time employment.
Reframe work as optional, not obligatory. For some clients, continuing to earn income is a way to protect their portfolios or delay withdrawals. For others, it’s about staying sharp and connected.
Guide strategic withdrawals. If supplemental income is in the picture, clients may be able to reduce their drawdowns in early retirement — preserving assets for longer-term needs.
Encourage exploration. Whether it’s consulting, teaching, mentoring or project work, retirees may not know what’s possible until someone opens the door.
A More Modern Model for Retirement
The workforce of the future isn’t just digital and fast — it must also be experienced and wise. Forward-thinking companies are beginning to recognize retirees as a valuable, often untapped, asset.
The challenge lies in removing the barriers that keep older professionals on the sidelines — rigid hiring practices, biased algorithms and a lack of creative pathways back to work. Financial advisors, HR leaders and retirees themselves all have a role in figuring out what this next chapter can be.
Retirement doesn’t have to mean stepping away completely. It can be a time to scale back while continuing to contribute to industries the retirees helped build.
Risa Ryan is the CEO and founder of The UnRetire Group, a platform that connects retirees with companies seeking seasoned, skilled talent. Risa previously held senior leadership roles at several large, global companies, where she led strategy, innovation, and operations across underwriting, financial management, and digital transformation initiatives. Contact her at risa@unretire.io.
