[Lee Boram's Senior Trend] Jobs That Energize... Dream of Being Active for Life

Is playing all you need to be happy? In an era of longevity, even leisure can become a burden.

The change has already begun. Carmen Dell’Orefice, the 91-year-old active oldest model, recently declared she will continue working until 105 and challenged herself with a nude photo shoot titled “Aging Gracefully.” There is also actress Youn Yuh-jung, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress last year at the age of 74. The late Song Hae, host of the nationwide singing contest show “National Singing Contest,” was listed in the Guinness Book as the oldest TV music competition host at 95. Herbert Blomstedt, also 95, is the world’s oldest conductor and remains active, drawing vitality from music.

Aside from these special cases of “lifelong active” individuals, the overall situation is not easy. According to Statistics Korea’s Economically Active Population Survey, in 2021, wage workers in South Korea retire from their main jobs at an average age of 49.3. About 40% of the reasons for leaving the longest-held job are involuntary factors such as business downturns, temporary or permanent closures, layoffs, and encouraged resignations. Of course, many continue to work afterward. The actual retirement age from the labor market averages 72.3 years. Various surveys indicate that financial reasons play a major role.

Having work is essential to prepare for the third act of life. This can be examined from three perspectives. First, the Korean baby boomer generation was the driving force behind the industrial development era that created the Miracle on the Han River. They have internalized “workaholism” and take pride in this growth. Having developed a lifelong habit of working, they cannot suddenly stop working altogether. Life itself is set to include working as a basic element for over 50 years.

Second, work provides relationships and financial benefits. A “working organization” gives its members discipline and stability. According to a counseling center operated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the suicide rate among people aged 65 and older in OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) member countries averages 17.2 per 100,000 population, while South Korea’s rate is 46.6, more than twice as high, ranking first (as of 2019). It is not that being alone is comfortable, but rather that being alone is lonely for this social generation. Working creates money and social interaction.

Third, it is for health. Since early this year, Third Age has been conducting research with Professor Ki-Bong Yoon of Yonsei University on “Analysis of Health Status According to the Presence of Jobs After Retirement.” Based on the Labor Panel and Korea Medical Panel data, the analysis shows that people who have any kind of work are healthier. Whether public jobs or entirely new work, retirement causes significant physical and psychological changes in the lives of older adults, affecting quality of life and health.

However, meaningful work is only possible for prepared seniors and organizations. I respect the late Kazuo Inamori, honorary chairman of Kyocera. In his book Why Do We Work?, he described the “meaning of work” as “a tool to complete the human being.” In the West, work is generally seen as an unavoidable duty and responsibility, and liberation from it is considered freedom and happiness. Therefore, it is thought best to work as briefly as possible and receive high pay, as work is seen as a necessary evil and a source of suffering. From the Eastern perspective, work is for nurturing one’s inner self. It is recognized as an important medium that allows lifelong self-discipline, growth, and connection with society. The equation for life and work he mentioned was the same: ability × enthusiasm × mindset.

If you want to live as a lifelong active person, practical learning must continue, and an open mind and listening are necessary. Due to rapid changes in the industrial environment, seniority-based wage systems, and a culture favoring younger workers, reemployment in fields where one has long experience and know-how is not guaranteed. To utilize one’s experience and capabilities domestically and internationally, instead of saying “Back in my day...,” even managers must engage directly in fieldwork and continue learning. No junior or organization wants to work with seniors who only talk about work.

Using my experience in the financial market and expert network platforms, since last year I have occasionally connected retired managers from large corporations to advisory roles in startups. While working abroad, I directly experienced the extension of retirement age and the return of veterans in their 50s in the Japanese labor market over about six years.

I thought similar changes would come to South Korea, where similarities are high, but the reality was not easy. It was almost as if I wanted to ask, “Which planet did each of you come from?” because the fit was so poor. The tools used for work, work styles, attitudes toward companies?everything was different. Not all “seniors” had internalized “lifelong learning.” Organizations also failed to support seniors’ rich experience, emotional intelligence, and knowledge sharing to create added value. What if organizations provided training opportunities to help seniors in their 50s acquire new skills? Companies like Google and BMW have already started experiments to create senior-friendly workplaces.

The direction of “lifelong active” is a necessary task for us, even though we have yet to find ways to accelerate it.

Aging comes to everyone. Although timing and solutions differ, the value and utility of “work” are clear. We need to have work. I quote Chairman Inamori once again: “Plan optimistically, prepare pessimistically, and execute optimistically.” We need daily growth, and it’s not over until it’s over.

Lee Boram, CEO of Third Age