About 50 years ago, in 1960, only a small percentage of the population between the ages of 65 and 67 was working part-time. Fast forward to today, and that percentage has increased dramatically, to almost 20%.
Partial retirement – defined as employment from which the income doesn’t exceed 50% of a person’s maximum annual earnings in their lifetime – is increasingly common for workers exiting a career job and “bridging” the years to full retirement.
You can read a November 15, 2013 MarketWatch blog post on this growing trend – and the possible factors driving it – here.