'My pension doesn’t keep pace with inflation': Peterborough pensioner ‘unretires’ to combat cost of living crisis

A Peterborough pensioner has spoken of his decision to re-enter the workforce just over a year before his 80th birthday.

Maurice Taylor told the Peterborough Telegraph that spiralling living costs essentially made the decision for him.

“Like most other people I was concerned by the rapid escalation in costs, particularly domestic fuel costs, and petrol costs for that matter. And then food started to increase.

“My pension doesn’t keep pace with inflation under normal circumstances and what is happening now is extraordinary.

“So I just thought, if I can, this is the time to future-proof my existence.”

Figures recently released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show a record 173,000 pensioners took up employment in the three months up to June, 2022.

The ONS also said 1.468 million people aged 65 and over are now in employment.

Mr Taylor spent much of his early working life criss-crossing the country as a sales rep.

From the mid-1990s onwards he helped design and install science labs, food technology rooms and ICT suites in schools, finally retiring in 2012 aged 68.

Maurice first started to look “sensibly and properly” at the notion of re-entering the workforce in May of this year.

“I was 78 so I down-sized my expectations and started looking for a position in customer service, which is what I’ve done all of my life”

Mr Taylor landed a telephone handler job working 40 hours per week at a Hampton-based call centre.

He described the recruitment as a “very rapid process”, being interviewed in May and starting work less than a month later in June.

‘Culture shock’

Returning to work after such a lengthy hiatus, Maurice noted, was something of a culture shock.

“The other seven people with whom I’d joined - their average age was less than 21.

They went to work wearing hoodies and I always wore a shirt and jacket. I stood out like a sore thumb.”

Mr Taylor is keen to highlight how warmly he was welcomed, though.

“They [his new work colleagues] were absolutely super. I was welcomed brilliantly and encouraged enormously.

"I have nothing but praise for the way I was inducted into the workforce there.”

The spritely septuagenarian has recently taken up a more attractive role, working at another call centre located closer to his Orton Brimbles home.

“It’s less than five minutes away from where I live, more money, and a shift pattern which is very much more work-life balanced.

"The salary isn’t massive but it makes a very significant difference”.

Chuckling, he added: “And, it’s going to be their heating bill, which keeps me warm during the working day and not mine at home.”

Maurice reflects that his move to re-enter the workforce was “a splendid decision.”

“I feel very good about myself”, he notes. “I get up at a specific time in the morning and know what I’ve got to do and where I need to be.

“It makes me tired as well, and it's a better form of tiredness than one brought about by boredom.”

He is, however, mindful of the uncertain future that many people of retirement age now face.

“Regardless of whether or not I think it’s a good thing to do, more and more retired people will feel that they have to [go back to work]. I’m afraid a lot of people are going to be seriously left behind.”