Britons in Their 70s Say They Cannot Afford to Stop Working

BBC Business reported Sunday that growing numbers of Britons well into their seventies feel financially unable to stop working, with rising rents, limited savings and an inadequate state pension locking many into the labour market indefinitely.

Financial Pressure Keeps Older Britons at Work

Mandy Kemp, a 70-year-old practice manager from Dover, told the BBC she works three days a week purely out of necessity. Her state pension alone falls short of covering rent and daily living costs. She also supports a son and husband unable to work due to ill health. “Unless I had a lottery win,” she said, she could see no path to leaving employment. Her situation reflects a broader squeeze felt by older workers across Britain, where renting rather than owning has become increasingly common among people approaching traditional retirement age.

A Trend Decades in the Making

Dr. Andrea Barry of the Centre for Ageing Better told the BBC that extended working lives have been building for at least two decades. She pointed to longer life expectancy and a rising state pension age as structural drivers. Women face a sharper burden, she noted. Interrupted careers, part-time roles without pension contributions and unpaid caring responsibilities have left many with little financial cushion. Barry was clear that retirement is no longer a fixed cutoff for most people, but for a significant portion of workers the choice is simply not theirs to make. She described a cohort of people in their sixties and seventies as “very precarious and vulnerable.”

Also Read: Denmark Plans to Raise Its Retirement Age to 70 by 2040

Some Workers Choose to Stay On

Not every older worker is driven by financial fear. Jackie Haynes, who turns 80 this year, works part-time as an activity coordinator at a Sussex care home. She owns her home and draws private pensions, making work a choice rather than a compulsion. She credits the job with keeping her socially connected and mentally sharp. Mike Sandford, a 78-year-old mechanical design engineer from Redhill, echoed that sentiment. He said retirement would leave his mind dangerously idle. Hobbies fill only so many hours, he explained, and watching others disengage after leaving work has reinforced his determination to stay active.

Why This Matters Beyond Individual Stories

Barry also argued that experienced older workers deliver real economic value, particularly in sectors facing skills shortages. Staying employed can protect physical and mental wellbeing for many. However, she acknowledged that the same demands can be harmful for those in poor health or physically demanding roles. The picture that emerges is a workforce reshaped by austerity, rising housing costs and pension shortfalls, with no simple policy fix on the immediate horizon.

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