As the cost of living rises and some investments turn shaky, the financial outlook is forcing some New Yorkers to unretire in their golden years.
The American workforce bustles with an estimated 38 million people ages 55 and older, according to the American Association of Retired Persons, or AARP, but a growing number feel forced to go back to work after second-guessing their financial futures.
Growing financial stress after retirement
Maria Fischer’s career took her from social work to an airline counter at LaGuardia Airport, then unemployment during the COVID pandemic. Finding her current job as a special projects coordinator for a city agency took time and determination.
“I was searching for a job and nobody called me, and I thought maybe nobody calls me because of my age,” she said.
The Silver Star Program at the New York City Department for the Aging brought Fischer to a downtown classroom to get help with resumes and hone new skills. She boosted her knowledge of computers and customer service.
“They help you to find a job, so, for me, it’s great,” she said. “Little by little, I just show who I am.”
Lorraine Cortez-Vasquez, commissioner of the Department for the Aging, sees more older residents getting back to working.
“The financial stresses are getting larger. Your 401(k) might not be as robust as you had planned,” Cortez-Vasquez said.
More retirees reentering labor force in 2026
AARP released results of a survey that found in the past six months, 7% of retirees reentered the labor force, up from 6% in the first half of 2025.
It found 48% of them said it’s because they need money.
“I need the money. Of course, everybody needs the money. I need to do something. I need to be active,” Fischer said.
She has no plans to retire anytime soon.
How older workers can find jobs
More older New York City residents should learn about the services available to them. The commissioner said some of the best new jobs for older workers are found in health care, government and retail.
“You may have been a teacher. But now you want to work in a museum or now you want to work in the city store,” Cortez-Vasquez said.
Carly Roszkowski, vice president of financial resilience programming for AARP, said job seekers should do research and tell as many people as they can that they want to get back to work.
“Use that network of decades of experience that you have. Tell your friends and neighbors that you might be looking for a new opportunity,” Roszkowski said. “Just stay positive.”
To make money, stay motivated, be more active and stay healthy, she said.