Baby Boomers Aren’t Going to Retire, According to New Zealand Survey

September 27, 2009
By

A very interesting article from New Zealand on Sunday by Steve Hart (September 26, 2009) Retirement Far From Boomer’s Minds contends that society’s premise built around the presumption that Boomers will cause an overload on the system and requirements for services as they retire at 65 isn’t necessarily true.  It points out that Boomers are different from other generations and consider the “new old” to be 81, not 65.  Based on a survey conducted by MBA student Sharon Buckland, her results show that the governmental plans hover around the notion that reaching age 65 means that Boomers will look to retire, thus burdening the state with the need for services.  But as Buckland points out, “. . . . baby boomers have never acted like their parents.  So why anyone would put in place a whole bunch of social planning that they were suddenly going to do so now is beyond my understanding.”  Her thesis is that the current thinking that Boomers will retire and create a “drain on the health system and nightmare for employers is all wrong.”

Buckland’s survey included 1162 boomers and provides an interesting contrast to the generally accepted thinking about our generation.  She notes that when Boomers entered the job market in the 1970′s there were such a large group of young people pushing for jobs, that the older generation eventually retired allowing access to the younger.  It’s probably important to note that at this time in history, 65 was the standard age of retirement and that economic forces afoot in the United States, at least, allowed the generation to retire without plunging into desperate poverty.    Today, she suggests that there are not many Gen Xers looking to push out the Boomers, and perhaps insulting to Gen Y, states they just don’t want to work.

So, she goes on to forecast that the “sky is not going to fall during the next 20 years” as many economic and governmental planners have feared.  Sadly for the financial industry, she warns that since Boomers aren’t interested in retiring, they aren’t interested in retirement planning so that that particular industry should take note.

Interestingly, she points out while Boomers reject retirement as a life goal, they don’t necessarily plan to do the same thing they have been doing for years.   The Boomers battle cry has always been that the generation is different and will do things their way, she notes that many Boomers plan to start something new, often including starting their own business.  Their skill sets are not as outdated as some have forewarned, and they have no intention of spending the next 20 years reading a book.

Buckland finds this a boon to Gen Y in that they will not have to support the Boomers as expected and accuses the recruiting/employment industries of maintaining and outdated prejudice that simply does not apply to the Boomer generation.  Boomers aren’t going away fast.  Here are some results pulled directly from her poll:

BABY BOOMER FACTS

* 75pc would not do a boring job even if the money was good.
* 80pc would rather be stressed at work than bored.
* 85pc have high expectations of their employers.
* 50pc would like extra pay.
* 52pc need to feel respected by their boss and colleagues.
* 85pc expect to get pleasure and fulfilment from their work.
* 78pc want opportunities to learn and develop.
* 66pc will spend the next five to 10 years excelling at their job.
* 21pc want to start a business.
* 83pc say work is important to their self-esteem.
* 93pc use a computer and are technically literate.
* 95pc feel they have made a meaningful contribution to their job.
* 91pc are worried about protecting their health over the next five to 10 years.
Sample: 1162 people
Source / Sharon Buckland

I find it fascinating to see trends in other countries mimicking ours and continuing to show that the Boomers are here to stay and thrive far beyond the societal “norms” that have been erroneously applied to the generation.

228 Responses to Baby Boomers Aren’t Going to Retire, According to New Zealand Survey

  1. pilot on September 7, 2011 at 4:53 pm

    After examine a couple of of the blog posts on your website now, and I really like your means of blogging. I bookmarked it to my bookmark web site listing and will be checking again soon. Pls check out my web page as properly and let me know what you think.

  2. plotki o gwiazdach on July 25, 2011 at 9:03 am

    I have learned some new items from your web site about computer systems. Another thing I’ve always presumed is that laptop computers have become a specific thing that each household must have for several reasons. They supply you with convenient ways in which to organize the home, pay bills, shop, study, listen to music and even watch television shows. An innovative way to complete most of these tasks is a laptop computer. These pc’s are portable ones, small, effective and lightweight.

  3. Seattle Real Estate Listings on July 7, 2011 at 2:04 pm

    Hello there! Quick question that’s completely off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? My web site looks weird when viewing from my iphone 4. I’m trying to find a theme or plugin that might be able to correct this problem. If you have any suggestions, please share. Cheers!

  4. glass beads wholesale on June 5, 2011 at 8:08 pm

    Very good blog, was happy to learn a lot here, I hope I can often look, thank you very much!

  5. Waste Disposal London on May 23, 2011 at 5:53 pm

    websites Our giant obtainable for download in a variety of The amount of big number of beautiful fantastic job capturing their nude bodies in a variety of We hope

  6. איפור ערב on May 23, 2011 at 5:40 pm

    שלום, רציתי להמליץ לכם על אתר מדהים בתחום האיפור!

  7. Megan Goodrum on May 23, 2011 at 5:23 pm

    Last month, when i visited your blog i got an error on the mysql server of yours…”‘-

  8. car alarm on May 23, 2011 at 4:52 pm

    Congratulations on having one of the most sophisticated blogs Ive come across in some time! Its just incredible how much you can take away from something simply because of how visually beautiful it is. Youve put together a great blog space –great graphics, videos, layout. This is definitely a must-see blog!

  9. Loan Against Credit Card Sales on May 23, 2011 at 4:42 pm

    Hi there, beautiful weblog with great informational content. This is a really interesting and informative post.

  10. Cedrick Curet on May 23, 2011 at 4:24 pm

    Judging by the way you write, you seem like a professional writer.–`*;

  11. cost of botox injections treatment on May 23, 2011 at 3:02 pm

    That is the best blog for anybody who wants to find out about this topic. You notice a lot its nearly exhausting to argue with you (not that I actually would want…HaHa). You positively put a brand new spin on a subject thats been written about for years. Nice stuff, just nice!

  12. Lavina Losh on May 23, 2011 at 1:05 pm

    I just added your RSS Feed on my RSS reader, it is so nice to read your blog..,`*:

  13. boys clothes on May 23, 2011 at 11:57 am

    The tips you provided listed below are extremely precious. It turned out this sort of pleasurable surprise to own that watching for me once i awakened today. They may be constantly to the issue as well as simple to learn. Thanks a bunch with the valuable ideas you’ve got shared listed here.

  14. Hard Money Loans Florida on May 23, 2011 at 11:16 am

    When do you think this Real Estate market will go back right side up? Or is it still too early to tell? We are seeing a lot of housing foreclosures in Casselberry Florida. What about you? I would love to get your feedback on this.

  15. Claire on May 23, 2011 at 8:19 am

    That is the most great article that I have ever come across after huge searches. I am very grateful to you for providing this unique information.

  16. Charlsie Priefert on May 23, 2011 at 5:37 am

    The color of your blog is quite great. i would love to have those colors too on my blog.,’,~.

  17. Bean Bags on May 23, 2011 at 5:04 am

    There is obviously a bunch to identify about this. I consider you made various good points in features also.

  18. miedzyzdroje on May 23, 2011 at 4:14 am

    You made some decent points there. I looked on the internet for the issue and found most individuals will go along with with your website.

  19. Best Baby Stroller on May 23, 2011 at 4:09 am

    I admire the time and effort you put into your blog. I wish I had the same drive!

  20. miedzyzdroje on May 23, 2011 at 3:45 am

    Your place is valueble for me. Thanks!…

  21. pid controller tuning on May 23, 2011 at 12:57 am

    A blog like yours should be earning much money from adsense.~’-`-

  22. Cartier Love bracelet on May 22, 2011 at 10:27 pm

    Good information here. I really enjoy reading them every day. I’ve learned a lot from them.Thanks so much for sharing this information. Greatly help me being a newbie.

  23. מכירת רכבים on May 22, 2011 at 9:50 pm

    היי אני רוצה להמליץ לכם על חברה בתחום מכירת רכבים המתמחה בשרותי טרייד אין לסוכנויות רכב ולקוחות פרטיים . באתר, אינפורמציה רבה המלווה בתמונות מכירת הרכבים ורשימה המתעדכנת באופן שוטף עם הרכבים הנמצאים במקום ומיועדים למכירה.

  24. Omer Sturghill on May 22, 2011 at 9:46 pm

    I was also reading a topic like this one from another site.*~,-~

  25. Kenny Rosky on May 22, 2011 at 9:44 pm

    You seem to be very professional in the way you write.,-”~,

  26. nitrogen cycle diagram on May 22, 2011 at 8:53 pm

    Perhaps you should update the php server on your webhost, WordPress is kinda slow.*’.:~

  27. pid controller tuning on May 22, 2011 at 8:31 pm

    Have you tried twitterfeed on your blog, i think it would be cool.~..,*

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

CommentLuv badge

Spam Protection by WP-SpamFree Plugin

Better Tag Cloud