Czech Republic: Increasing Number of Pensioners Registered as Employed

According to an article by Laura Burgoine in The Prague Post, more pensioners in the Czech Republic are choosing to remain in the labor market. Specifically, data from Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ) reveals that, in 2011, an "increase of 11,000 old-age pensioners was registered as employed last year, taking the number up to some 157,000, accounting for 7 percent of all those receiving state retirement benefits."

The main motivators behind the number of old-age pensioners in the work force growing 7% are social- and health-related as much as they are financial. Burgoine cites research suggesting a link between education and employment, with most of the employed pensioners being highly educated. She quotes Ondřej Nývlt from ČSÚ as saying: "A lot of the pensioners in the work force are doctors, lecturers and academics; people with high education seem to be more active."

One reason people with higher qualifications opt for returning to work is because they have spent a long time building a career, which they don't want to give up, Lucie Vidovićová, a sociologist from Masaryk University, said.

"Also, they are not tired from their work like those who have spent their lives doing physical labor," she said.

At the other end of the scale, the most common professions for older pensioners include working in agriculture, selling newspapers, stocking supermarket shelves and working as security guards, drivers, administrators, technical support and shop assistants.

Source: Prague Post "Older workers staying on the job" (March 28, 2012)