Older workers embrace career change, less stress

CHICAGO -- Less pay, fewer benefits, lower prestige — and greater job satisfaction.

Older workers and retirees moving into different lines of work can take heart from a study that finds they are likely to enjoy their new jobs more than their old ones.

In an era when pink slips are flying and some career paths may be cut short because of the economy, many job switches may be forced rather than voluntary.

But whatever the reason, there's new evidence that suggests career changes work out well for the overwhelming majority of older workers because of reduced stress and flexible work schedules.

AARP followed over-50 workers for more than a decade to study career changes and find out how they fared. In all, 91% of the study group said they enjoyed their new jobs, a significant bump from a 79% thumbs-up for their old jobs.

"The study shows dramatically that workers are putting a premium on reduced stress as they downshift a bit," says Susan Reinhard, senior vice president of the AARP Public Policy Institute.

A report was released Thursday on the study, based on 1,705 workers nationwide surveyed over a 14-year period beginning in 1992. The study was conducted for the AARP Public Policy Institute by The Urban Institute of Washington.

"The current downturn presents a real bump in the road," Reinhard said. "But for the future, the findings are a welcome signal that workers 50 and over can really enjoy themselves while remaining productive in a vibrant economy."

Already common, career change among older workers is likely to grow as the baby-boom generation nears traditional retirement age.

Murray Scureman, 70, of Potomac, Md., didn't wait for a recession to make the leap. He walked away from a lucrative job as lobbyist for a computer manufacturer to pursue his passion: building.

Today the one-time systems engineer, who is divorced, runs a successful home renovation business and doesn't look back, even though he makes roughly half his old corporate salary of about $200,000.