Most Canadians don't want to retire. Here's why

As summer comes to an end and many Canadians return to work — if they were lucky enough to take a holiday — some people of a certain age may be wondering when they should turn on their out-of-office reply permanently. 

Although the idea of retirement is alluring to some, according to a recent report from Statistics Canada most Canadians would prefer to continue working. 

The report, issued Aug. 1, says more than half of people planning to retire would continue to work if they could do so part-time, or if their work was less stressful or demanding. 

The reasons why they continue to work are varied, from financial concerns to deeper issues of purpose.

Louis Primavera, a licensed psychologist and author of The Retirement Maze, says people who retire often start out very positive but can start to feel lost after a while. 

"Work creates an identity for us," Primavera told Shelley Joyce, host of CBC's Daybreak Kamloops. "It creates a social system for us."

About 30 per cent of people never adjust to retirement, he said, adding that there is a lot more antidepressant use among seniors who have retired.

But there are some commonalities among those who retire well, Primavera said, including creating a schedule, finding a new sense of identity and retiring at the same time as a partner or spouse.

Long-time CBC Radio Vancouver host Rick Cluff knows all about the changes that come after a busy career. For more than 20 years, Cluff woke up at 3 a.m. to host The Early Edition. 

"It is a very emotional experience when you say goodbye to something you've done for so long," Cluff told Daybreak Kamloops. "I miss the excitement, the electricity of going into work every day."

After years of working at a job he loved, interviewing everyone from prime ministers to corner shop owners, Cluff said retirement wasn't easy. 

Cluff retired in 2017, when he was 68. He said a big factor in his decision was getting bypass surgery for his heart. 

"When you retire, it's the first stage of coming to grips with your own mortality," he said. "You start thinking about how many summers you've got left and what you want to do with them."

According to Statistics Canada, health is one of the top considerations for people deciding when to retire.