‘Polywork’ for the Baby Boomers.

Polywork, if you’re unfamiliar, is a term that means working two jobs at the same time. This is often thought of as a young person’s game or part of the ‘gig economy’ but new research is showing that the new leader in polywork is actually people between the ages of 55-64 part of the younger aged boomers and older Gen X. 

There are always multiple reasons for shifts like this.

The obvious one is the baby boomers have “run out of cash.” The article lists a growing cohort are unretiring and doing more work than they often were doing before.

Survival is a real situation for so many given many of the economic shifts that are occurring in our world, but that is not the only reason. 

Sometimes it is to achieve greater mental stimulation by working multiple projects or adding contract work on top of the regular 9 to 5. 

U.S. labor statistics found some 1.3 million people ages 55-64 worked multiple jobs since 2023 and this may be part of a growing trend upending the entrenched retirement idea. Some of this is forced by challenging economic situations that make the old ideal impossible and some of this is people looking for more meaningful opportunities as we age.

Here is a link to the original article.

https://fortune.com/2024/10/03/baby-boomers-gen-z-multiple-jobs-startfleet/

As always, if you come across a financially related article you’d like to send my way please do! 

Best place to send them is to me.

More next time!

Jonathan