EARLY half the 3,000 baby boomers surveyed either want to work or have to work as long as they are able to, going by results of the first-ever study on these 44- to 61-year-olds.

Thirty-four per cent say they want to continue working, and 11 per cent say they have to.

Sociologists say it is a positive sign that this many are willing to continue being economically active.

Associate Professor Angelique Chan from the National University of Singapore's Department of Sociology, one of the two researchers who did the survey, noted that baby boomers are more educated than their parents.

This lot understands that their Central Provident Fund savings may not see them through their retirement years, given that people now live longer, she said.

However, those surveyed named various reasons for wanting to keep working and money was not always among them.

'When the population is more educated, they get more intrinsic satisfaction from working. They want to continue working for the sense of self-worth,' she said.

Society gains from their staying financially independent and mentally stimulated, which makes for better mental health, she added.

Although nearly half of baby boomers want to continue working as long as possible, two in five - especially the better educated - want to retire before they hit 65.

More males than females are likely to choose not to work at all after retiring.

Prof Chan explained that the sense of self worth is what keeps women working.

Many of them have taken time off in their younger years to rear children, 'so when they can work again, they want to do so, to feel like they are contributing to the community', she said.

JANE NG

This article was first published in The Straits Times on January 10, 2009.