Majority of Canadians expect to work beyond age 66: poll

And the average expected age of retirement now hovers at 68 — up from 66 just last year.

“That’s a fairly short space of time for an attitude change of that degree,” said Kevin Dougherty, president of Sun Life Financial Canada.

The poll results from Canada’s third-biggest insurance company reflect what other public opinion surveys have shown for a while — that the concept of Freedom 55 is a thing of the past.

“These results are not surprising given the current economic volatility, increasing consumer debt loads, rising health-care costs, longer life expectancy and lack of planning. We’re also finding that some Canadians believe they’ll have to work longer to be able to pay for basic living expenses,” Dougherty said.

Around the world, a retirement crisis looms as debt-strapped countries scale back benefits, raise the retirement age or make other moves to deal with rising obligations and weak economies.

In Canada, the federal government wants to scale back the long-term costs of Canada’s Old Age Security program, and has met harsh criticism from critics and the opposition over suggestions Ottawa may raise the OAS retirement age to save money.

On Tuesday, Human Resources Minister Diane Finley told a Canadian Club meeting in Toronto that younger Canadians would face higher taxes, fewer social programs or larger deficits unless major reforms are started right now.

Meanwhile, a recent report to the Ontario government recommended cuts to pensions for teachers, nurses and other public sector workers because they are unaffordable in a slowing provincial economy.

The retirement issue is coming to the fore as the workforce ages and baby boomers are set to retire in the coming years, leaving fewer employees to pay into benefit plans and more drawing from them.

Nearly half of respondents to the Sun Life survey said they are worried about having debt in retirement. More than twice as many respondents, 44%, said that paying down debt was the number one priority, compared to 20% who said they prioritized retirement.

Some recent indications have suggested more people are carrying debt into their retirement years, a worrying trend that is forcing some to keep working.

“They’re really thinking of shifting gears, staying in the workforce a little longer, avoid drawing down on the retirement savings for a few extra years or getting themselves a little more ready by paying down debt they thought they’d have paid off by this point in time,” Dougherty said.

Canadians are also living longer — with average life expectancy now at 85, according to Statistics Canada. Retirees will need to factor that into savings plans.

“It used to be the worry was ‘What if I die?’ And today it’s ‘What if I live, what if I live a really long time?”‘ Dougherty said.

Research from Statistics Canada released in the fall found that a 50-year-old worker in 2008 could expect to stay in the labour force another 16 years — 3.5 years longer than would have been the case in the mid-1990s.

In the Sun Life poll, about 61% of those who said they expect to work past the traditional retirement age of 65 said they would do so because they have to, while 39% said it’s because they want to.

About 48% said they plan to work part-time or freelance while they ease into retirement.

Meanwhile, nearly half of respondents— 43% — said they plan to start phasing into retirement between the ages of 60 and 65, while 21% said they plan to start earlier — between ages 50 and 59 and eight per cent plan to start between 66 and 70.

This phenomenon — so-called phased-in retirement — is one that Dougherty expects to grow as more people slowly wind down in order to maintain an income, rather than retire at a set date.

That can mean anything from working with an existing employer to reduce the number of days worked, to consulting work to taking on a part-time job in another field.

“Interest in phased retirement has been growing over the past few years,” said Ian Markham, a retirement analyst at the Towers Watson consulting company.

“Baby boomers are looking at it as a way to prolong their careers, pay off some debts and make a smooth transition into retirement. Having additional income during this transition creates an additional financial safety net for Canadians – which we’re seeing as increasingly important in today’s economy.”

Sun Life’s index was compiled by Ipsos Reid, which surveyed 3,701 working Canadians from age 30 to 65 between Nov. 29 and Dec. 12.

It has a 1.6 percentage point margin of error, 19 times out of 20.