Archive · 25 Jan 2026
India Needs to Reimagine Retirement as Gradual Transition
A recent survey in India found that many older professionals want to keep working or engaging in some activity after retirement.
They see retirement as a transition to a new way of living, not an end.
The survey showed that about half of the people wanted some kind of professional engagement after retiring.
However, many organizations do not support this transition well.
There are also problems with accessing pension and provident funds.
The article suggests that India should rethink its retirement systems to make it easier for people to work part-time or consult after retirement, similar to systems in countries like Canada.
This would help older professionals find purpose and structure, and also benefit companies by leveraging their experience.
A survey of over 1,000 experienced professionals and retirees aged 55–80 in India shows a desire for continued professional engagement after retirement.
Older professionals view retirement as a transition to a new way of living, not an end, and seek flexible, low-bureaucracy roles.
Globally, labour force participation for people aged 60 and above has risen significantly, indicating a trend towards continued engagement.
Many organizations in India do not provide adequate support for retirement transitions, leading to bureaucratic hurdles and difficulties in accessing pension and provident funds.
India could improve its retirement systems to allow for gradual transitions, similar to flexible pension plans in countries like Canada, to better support older professionals.
- Who
- Experienced professionals and retirees aged 55–80 across India
- What
- A survey conducted by WisdomCircle and Dalberg on views about work and retirement
- When
- The survey results highlight current trends and desires of older professionals
- Where
- India
- Why
- To understand how older professionals view work and retirement and to reimagine retirement as a gradual transition
- Survey Participants
- Over 1,000 experienced professionals and retirees aged 55–80 across India
- Average Retirement Age in India
- 65
- US Labour Force Participation (55-64)
- 55% in 1990 to 66% in 2023
- EU Labour Force Participation (60+)
- 38% in 2000 to 60% in 2020
- Demand for Work After Retirement
- Nearly half of those surveyed wanted some sort of professional engagement
- Support from Organizations
- 60% of respondents received little to no support in preparing for retirement
- PF Claims Rejection Rate
- 25% of all PF claims are rejected
- Pension Requests Rejection Rate
- Nearly 40% of pension-specific requests are rejected