For senior citizens struggling with boredom in their retirement years, a part-time job can help keep them connected to their community while they earn extra cash and stay active. In fact, part-time jobs for seniors are a good way for them to stay busy and healthier.

Age Is Just a Number

Don’t start believing you are too old to find a job. Sarah Kolbeck, an office administrator for Experience Works–a national, charitable senior training organization–says many job-seeking seniors are well past the traditional retirement age of 65 years old.

“Some [of our] applicants are in their 80s, and for them, [their job is] a way of life,” Kolbeck emphasizes. “It gets them involved in something and gets them involved with people, something that they need and that all of us really need.”

Getting Involved

Just because you have retired from a job doesn’t mean you have to retire from the community. Some jobs can keep you involved in the community while you get paid. For example, a part-time job in a library can connect you with local literary and creative activities, while a job at city hall could keep you tuned in to local politics. You could also get creative with self-employment as a personal tutor or handyman.

Finding a Job

If you’re just looking to keep busy and are not dependent on the extra income, search for a part-time position that you can enjoy. Try to find a job with these conditions:

    • Flexible hours

    • Low or absent manual labor requirements

    • Low stress

    • A short commute

    • A social or community-related aspect



Look for seasonal jobs as well. For example, the Internal Revenue Service has positions available for clerks and data transcribers during the tax-filing months of January to May. More government jobs can be searched for at www.usa.gov.

Working for Cash

If you are a senior adult on a low income who needs to work, there are programs in place to help you find a job. The United States Department of Labor’s Senior Community Service Employment Program provides eligible seniors who are at least 55 years old with part-time work at nonprofits and public facilities. Local AARP Foundations can assist with job searching and training for SCSEP jobs.

“We try to find them a job that is closely related to what they’re doing, but some of them want to change careers, and we try to address that as well,” says Jackie Ward, the senior employment specialist at the New Orleans AARP Foundation.

Recertification programs, education and computer training are a few things the AARP Foundation can help low-income seniors with. To be eligible for the SCSEP, certain requirements have to be met, so check the Department of Labor’s website or call your local AARP Foundation branch to see if you qualify.

Even if a senior person doesn’t meet the requirements for the government’s jobs program, Ward adds contacting AARP can still have benefits: “[We] try to send them to a spot where they can be hired with the experience that they have.”