'It was scary': Four Britons on return to work after retirement

After a record number of people aged 50 and over in the UK left the labor market as a result of the pandemic, the trend has started to reverse, as the cost of living crisis has forced some to reconsider early retirement.

This week, a report from Lords Economic Affairs Committee said early retirement among 50 to 64 was the main contributor to an increase in economic inactivity of 565,000 UK citizens since the start of the pandemic. According to their peers, this trend put the economy at risk of weaker growth and ever higher inflation.

Four people share what led them to start working again, sometimes after a hiatus of several years and in a different role, and how long they hope to remain economically active.

"I didn't go back to work because the chancellor wanted me to"

Dave, 63, from Southport, Merseyside, retired aged 60 after 33 years at the Royal Mail , just before the start of the pandemic. "I took a voluntary departure, and the plan was to do something else for a few years, to have fun," he says.

"The Royal Mail pension is OK, but not enough for everyday life and vacations or nights out. So about a year and a half ago I realized I could get by on an extra £500 a month, and I went back to work, caring for a residential children's home, when and when they needed me."

< p class="dcr-h26idz">Initially using simply the extra income as a welcome supplement, Dave found he could no longer cover living expenses such as utilities without using his savings when those hours dried up. Last month, he started a part-time job in a call center on a medical negligence law firm's patient claim line.

"I do 17.5 hours a week, they gave me days I liked, it's really flexible. It gets me an extra £500-£600 which at the moment is more than nice to have, it's a requirement."

Dave says the Chancellor is concerned for hundreds of thousands of working-age Britons who have left the workforce not influenced his decision to become economically active again.

"I returned to work mainly because of the cost of living, it was a personal choice based on personal circumstances .I plan to work at least until I am 66 when I become eligible for my state pension.I will then decide whether I will continue to work or not."

"I discovered my niche at 59"