Why seniors aren't retiring

Complaints about baby boomers taking (or staying in) jobs go back for years. Critics became more vocal when the recession came along. We were supposed to retire and make room for the next generation to take the slots we'd been occupying. But we're still hanging in there, often past the typical retirement age.

There are a few reasons why many of us seniors are still working, often at part-time jobs. We don't need a full-time paycheck because we have Social Security. But we need the extra cash because Social Security isn't enough. (A recent survey showed that two-thirds of us are uncertain about having enough money in retirement.)

But some of the jobs we're "hogging" are upper management, which serves to block those in middle management from moving up. One thing to be considered: As long as we're fully employed, we're not collecting Social Security; we're paying into it.

Some of us are holding on to our jobs because there's no way to cut back on the hours. What we do doesn't lend itself to being part-time. Or perhaps we didn't save enough for retirement, or we just like working.

One factor in the equation: We're not being pushed out by employers. They want us because we're reliable. That's often enough for an employer to hire or keep us. We're productive. And we are the talent pool that serves as the glue in many industries.

To be considered: We're not job hoppers. If we're employed, we generally stay unlike many in the younger generations who move from job to job, using that as a way to climb the ladder. That's what they know, and staying put is what we know.

(c) 2015 King Features Synd. Inc.