Top 10 side hustles for retirees as pensioners forced to ‘unretire’

Side Hustles: Woman sells beauty products to make extra cash

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A new report out this week shows almost one-third (30 percent) of older workers no longer have enough income to cover basic living costs and one in 10 older workers have no choice but to ‘unretire’ and return to work to make ends meet. Furthermore, another 26 percent said they too could be forced to return to work due to the cost of living crisis. While many retirees will be unhappy they are being forced to return to work, Express.co.uk has come up with 10 of the best jobs or side hustles for pensioners that may allow people to carry on working while still having some time to relax.

Reaching retirement age should be a chance to put one’s feet up but for many people who have reached state pension age the cost of living crisis is affecting their retirment plans.

A report out this month to cincide with National Older Workers Week has discovered that If they were afforded a choice, 66 percent of older workers would like to slow down and reduce their hours, but 41 percent can’t afford to. 

Mandy Garner, spokesperson for workingwise.co.uk, said: “For many older workers, they are stuck between a rock and a hard place, unable to retire but unable to pay the bills in their current roles.

“If we want to engage older workers and encourage them to stay in or return to the workplace, we need to understand their needs; flexible working is crucial, largely owing to health issues and caring responsibilities.”

She continued: “We need to appreciate older workers, show them we value them and create a working environment that enables them to thrive and keep growing. Otherwise they will jump ship.

“We need to tackle ageism head-on. Starting with job adverts – which is preventing many talented older workers from even applying in the first place. We need to arm interviewees and recruiters with the knowledge to prevent ageism in the hiring process and to embrace older workers into the team.”

Catherine Foot, Director of longevity think tank Phoenix Insights, said: “With a third of the workforce already over 50 and this proportion set to continue to grow, it’s crucial that businesses are tackling age discrimination and providing the necessary support to enable employees to stay in work as long as they need to.

“Recruitment, development, reskilling and retention of older workers, along with policies aimed to support flexible working, are vital in achieving this. There is much more that needs to be done by employers and the government to reimagine the workplace as people live and work for longer and we’d encourage all employers to consider initiatives that can really make a difference.”

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It’s not the first report to find that pensioners are considering returning to work to pay for soaring food and energy prices.

My Pension Expert recently asked 2,000 people who had reached state pension age and were at least 66-years-old how they were planning to make ends meet during the cost of living crisis.

Its research discovered six percent of older people said they were likely to seek employment to help pay rising energy bills.

While changing careers isn’t always straightforward for older workers, Express.co.uk has researched some of the best side hustles available to everyone, but especially attractive to pensioners.

Pensioners in their 60s and 70s are testing out new ways to “semi-retire” with many saying homesitting is a great way to earn up to £300 a month extra while still having time to unwind.

Retired journalist and broadcaster David Poyser now takes people on tours of London and loves his new role as a tour guie which pays him up to £290 a day.

Meanwhile, a gran from Reading told Express.co.uk she is earning up to £250 a day after taking early retirement and swapping nursing for life as a film and TV extra.

She said: “It’s not bad money for dressing up – it gets you out there doing things that you probably wouldn’t do in real life.”

10 best jobs or side hustle ideas for pensioners:

  • TV and film extra – Up to £250 a day
  • Rent out your car – Around £300 a month
  • Tour Guide – Up to £300 a day
  • Granfluencer – 73-year-old Lynn Davis (@cookingwithlynja) earns £7,567 from sponsored TikTok posts
  • Skillshare – It’s possible to earn more than £500 a month
  • TaskRabbit – Bid on tasks like DIY to earn over £500 a month
  • Direct selling – On average people earn an extra £500
  • Blogger – Earn up to £500 a month
  • Craftpreneur – Earn up to £500
  • Market research – £50 an hour.

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