Nearly one in four who were planning to retire in 2014 say they don’t feel ready to stop working altogether, while 13% who had scheduled retirement delayed their plans.
Stan Russell, retirement income expert at Prudential, said: “For many people retirement is now a gradual process rather than a watershed where you simply stop working one day and become retired the next, and that is reflected in the change in attitudes shown by our research.
“What is important is that people take retirement planning and annuities seriously and do as much as possible to ensure a comfortable retirement by consulting a financial adviser or retirement specialist well ahead of their planned retirement date.”
Data revealed that 23% would consider working past their state pension age full-time, while 31% weighed up the idea of working part-time.
Russell added: “Working past traditional retirement ages is not solely driven by financial pressures and the research shows growing numbers of people wanting to carry on working because they enjoy it and because it keeps them stimulated mentally and physically.
“Increased life expectancy and improvements in general health is changing how we think about retirement.”
The study found that 53% of those planning to retire this year intend to do more exercise, 37% anticipate more socialising, while 36% plan to take up voluntary or charity work.
