Working in Retirement: When Pensions No Longer Cover the Basics

At around 6.30 am, Mr Krüger pulls crates of bread rolls across the car park of a supermarket in a medium-sized German town. He is 72, formerly an insurance administrator and now a low-paid early-shift worker. The shop’s neon lights flicker as he stocks the shelves. He jokes with the young colleague on the till, but when she briefly walks away, his eyes settle on the butter price display: €2.49. He lets out a quiet snort, mostly to himself. “I never used to think about things like that,” he mutters while putting away the final crate. Now he calculates the cost of every packet in his head: electricity, heating and how much of the month remains once the money has already gone.

Behind his smile, you can sense a mental calculator that never stops running.

When retirement exists only on paper

You see them everywhere once you start paying attention: older men with grey beards filling shelves; women in their mid-seventies working behind bakery counters despite long having reached retirement age; and voices on the bus apologising with “I’m actually retired already” when boarding takes a little longer. They wear safety boots rather than slippers. Many of them would much prefer to sit at the kitchen table in their pyjamas in the morning than stand in work clothes in a DIY store car park.

The bare figures are difficult to overlook. In Germany, the number of pensioners in work has risen sharply in recent years, by double-digit percentages in some regions. Former tradespeople now deliver parcels, while retired teachers arrange products on chemists’ shelves. The official explanation is often, “I still need something to do, otherwise I’ll go mad.” Yet after a few minutes, a different, quieter sentence usually follows: “I can’t manage on the pension alone.”

The reasoning is brutally straightforward. Living costs are increasing: rent, energy, food and insurance. Pensions may rise on paper, but that gain vanishes as soon as the next direct debit leaves the account. Many pensions reflect interrupted working lives, shaped by raising children, part-time employment, caring for relatives and periods of unemployment. Women in particular feel the impact in their purses each month. Anyone who has somehow managed throughout their life may discover in old age that “somehow” is no longer enough. Then, at 68 or 74, they find themselves wondering whether to buy another work jacket.

Between dignity and discount-store work: making work in retirement feel less harsh

Some pensioners approach continuing to work with striking strategy. They sit down, do the sums carefully and speak to the pension insurance service or a wage-tax assistance association. It is not all sentimentality or simply “I like helping out in the shop”. Those with room to manoeuvre deliberately reduce their hours, look for physically easier roles or move their shifts to the early morning or evening so that the day remains free. Sometimes voluntary work for a local club develops into a small paid role. In other cases, established specialist knowledge becomes consultancy work. “I have to” can at least become a modest “I choose to”.

A common pattern is that many begin too quickly and with too much goodwill. They say, “sure, I can do that”, accepting every shift, call and extra task. Eventually, the body applies the brakes: backs, knees and circulation all begin to complain. Let us be honest: nobody enjoys leaving home at 4.30 am five times a week at the age of 70. Some say they initially feel ashamed even to admit that they need to work again. There is an underlying sense of having “failed”, as though they had personally planned badly. In most cases, however, they are merely paying the price of decades of political and economic decisions.

In a small-town café, a 69-year-old former nursery worker who now provides paid hourly childcare for young parents says:

“I love children, that isn’t the problem. But I would have liked to decide for myself whether to do this - rather than doing it because heating becomes a luxury in winter otherwise.”

She has set out several rules for herself:

• Never accept more than three fixed working days per week.
• Give preference to jobs that match her existing knowledge and physical capacity.
• Agree in writing beforehand what will be paid and what remains a favour.
• Speak openly with her family about money, strain and limits.

In this way, an obligation can gradually become a framework that still leaves room for personal decisions.

When working in retirement becomes a quiet public vote

The growing number of pensioners who continue working is more than an economic statistic; it amounts to a quiet vote with their feet. They signal that the story of a carefree later life no longer matches many bank balances. Some regard this development as a muted scandal, while others see it as the sober reality of an ageing society. Between these two positions are real people standing by bakery shelves at six in the morning or making beds in care homes in the evening. What they are rarely told is that they are supporting the system again, even though they have already supported it throughout their working lives.

Perhaps, in a few years, we will tell different stories about old age: less about a “well-earned retirement” and more about a shared discussion of how we want to live when we are old. How much work is reasonable? How much financial security should we expect? How much should we be prepared to grant one another? When people see pensioners smiling in a supermarket today, they often see only the surface: some movement, a conversation, a task. Beneath that lies a far more matter-of-fact question: is there enough money for a life that consists of more than simply enduring?

Perhaps change begins when we stop looking away as a breathless 74-year-old parcel delivery worker stands at the front door. Instead, we can start a conversation, ask about their story and allow ourselves to feel anger or uncertainty. We can then ask how we want to think differently not only about our own old age, but also that of our parents and neighbours. Working in retirement is no longer an exception; it is increasingly the norm. The question is whether we want that to remain the case, or whether one day we will tell ourselves different figures, different stories and different visions of the future.

Key message	Detail	Benefit for the reader
Pensions often no longer cover basic costs	Rising prices collide with interrupted working lives and low pensions	Assess your own financial position in later life more realistically
Continuing to work can be shaped	Deliberately choose hours, duties and conditions	Practical ways to turn compulsion into greater self-determination
Open conversations ease the burden	Shame around money worries decreases when family and social circles are involved	Make better use of emotional and practical support

FAQ

• How many pensioners currently continue working? Depending on the region, around one in six to one in seven pensioners continues working in some form, and the trend is rising.
• Can pensioners earn an unlimited amount in addition to their pension? Since the Flexible Retirement Act, the limits have been eased considerably, but it is still worth checking the current rules of the German Pension Insurance service.
• Is it worthwhile arranging advice before taking a side job? Yes. Even a one-hour conversation with the pension insurance service or a wage-tax assistance association can prevent later financial surprises.
• Which jobs are generally more manageable for older people? Roles involving little heavy lifting, flexible hours and the use of existing experience, such as care, office work, consultancy and light service roles.
• How should I talk to my parents about them working again? Without blame or pity: listen, ask what is weighing on them, and look together for alternatives or ways to ease the pressure.