More retired Florida seniors going back to work in 2025 to make ends meet, survey finds
MIAMI - The higher cost of living in has been a key factor driving many seniors out of retirement in 2025, according to a recent survey.
A Resume Builder survey found that one in eight seniors planned to go back to work this year. Out of those, 51% cited cost of living increases, 40% said they returned to the workforce to combat boredom and 37% did so because they have no retirement savings.
Janette Campbell, a retired teacher, is now back at work, training and looking for a full-time job.
"I went back to work because I found myself in a difficult position where I wasn't able to pay for my mortgage or food for the house," she said.
Campbell said that to make matters worse, her husband is ill and they support a grandson who has autism.
Maritza Lopez runs the AARP's Community Service Employment Program that helps retired seniors get back to work.
"A lot of them get retirement, but it's very low. It's maybe $500, $800 or $1,000," she said.
Campbell said she's not surprised that so many of the 65 and older set are going back to work.
"Because we are having issues paying our bills and finding somewhere to live. The economy has gone up sky high, so we have to get back out there," she said.
For some South Florida seniors, it isn't about money
Philip Williams retired from Miami-Dade County Public Schools, where he was in grants administration. He now works part-time at the Academy for Innovative Education, a charter school in Miami Springs.
Williams, who has a pension from the state and collects Social Security, said that while he doesn't need the money, it certainly doesn't hurt. He added that it keeps him busy and allows him to follow his passion.
"I'm a full-time playwright, at least that's what my business card says, and, I've now got I think 65 plays posted on my website," he said.
Williams said his post-retirement employment enables him to travel to conventions and seminars involved with his playwriting activities. He added that he's not the only retired educator working at the charter school. He said it keeps them engaged.
"They're here five days a week and working with the kids, working full-time basically, as a retired person," he said.
More than three-quarters (78%) of seniors are not currently working, according Resume Builder, which also found that 11% of seniors are employed full-time and approximately the same percentage are working part-time.
