Nowadays, more older adults are considering the idea of working past the conventional retirement age

. In a survey by the Randstad’s Global Workmonitor , more than half of Canadian employees—around 52%–said they would be happy to work past the retirement age. Compare that to 32% of the respondents, who said that they don not plan on working beyond their retirement age.

The survey echoes the findings of the Bank of Nova Scotia’s survey

last 2011. The findings of that survey showed that 70% of Canadians plan on working beyond 65.

As Canada is experiencing a shortage of skills in the workforce, older adults’ willingness to work past 65 years old comes as a relief to employers. This is also a relief to the government, who is now faced with a retirement issue: with baby boomers set to retire and fewer employees in the workforce who will be paying for retirement benefit plans.

Another survey, this time by Sun Life Financial’s Unretirement Index poll

, reported that only three out of 10 Canadians plan to retire by 65.

According to the same survey, 61% of the respondents believe they have to do this because they have no choice. In other words, they have to work past 65 because they have to.

Working past the retirement age can be both a good and bad thing. One of the pros is that able-bodied older adults will be able to stave off boredom and at the same time, save a little longer for their retirement.

One clear disadvantage though is that some older adults may be subject to overexertion. The risk of falls and immobility is increased in the work environment, so older adults must be extra careful to make sure they are far from trouble. For companies, this means that they have to reassess the workplace to ensure the safety for their senior employees. This may include work place audits, barrier free

workplaces and regular health and safety staff training.