According to a survey by SeniorLiving.org of 1,100 Americans, a record number of people 65 and older are projected to keep working. For example, post-secondary (college or technical school) teachers 65 and older make up 11.3 percent of the workforce, and despite universities trying to buy out older professors, retirement offers are being declined, and 15 percent plan to keep teaching until they are 80.
SeniorLiving.org, using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, studied elderly employment trends and found the top 11 occupations held by Americans 65 and over, based on the number of people in those professions and their corresponding percentage of the overall workforce:
- Management: 320,000 employed, 8.2 percent.
2.Farmers: 293,000, 29.9 percent.
- Retail sales: 269,000, 8.2 percent.
- Administrative support: 246,000, 8.5 percent.
- Drivers: 245,000. 7.4 percent.
- CEOs: 198,000, 12.8 percent.
- Retail supervisors: 197,000, 6.1 percent.
- Janitors: 180,000, 8 percent.
- Real estate agents: 179,000; 21.1 percent.
- Elementary and middle school teachers: 152,000, 5 percent.
- Post-secondary teachers: 152,000, 11.3 percent.