Will You Retire?

There are now so many retirees expecting to work longer that a new term has been coined for what they are doing: They are "rewiring," not retiring.

Businesses and local governments are actively urging older workers to rewire. Web sites such as RetirementJobs.com have sprung up. The jobs range from the kind that teenagers do in the summer, such as retail, to those requiring advanced skills and education levels. The web site YourEncore.com, for instance, recruits mature workers trained to be engineers, scientists, and product developers.

Many state and local offices for the aging and nonprofit service organizations now hold job fairs for older workers. Operation A.B.L.E. (Ability Based on Long Experience) of Greater Boston organized mature worker career fairs for job seekers 45 and older. Meanwhile, many community colleges, such as Central Florida Community College, offer training programs for older workers.

Recognizing the need to match older workers with employers, AARP created a national employer team of more than two dozen employers who actively court mature workers. Last year, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Disaster Assistance and the Peace Corps became the first federal agencies to join the team. In August, the organization partnered with RetirementJobs.com to expand its online offerings of job search advice.

Often, Skladany said, older workers are surprised at how the process of finding a job has changed so much in recent years. For one thing, so much is done electronically. Skladany often comes across job seekers who don't even have e-mail accounts, much less know how to use the Internet. He advises them to get a computer with a high-speed Internet connection, learn how to use a search engine such as Google, and get an e-mail address and a cell phone.

"Older workers are stunned by this because they still remember the pen-and-pencil days," he said.

Last month , AARP held its second annual job fair at its convention in the District to guide older workers through the process. Organizers said attendance by both job seekers and employers was much higher than last year.

In the middle of the sprawling Washington Convention Center floor were tables with computers where soon-to-be retirees and retirees were looking up job postings in AARP's database. On a nearby stage, consultants gave tips on putting together a résumé and mastering interviews. To the left and right of the stage were booths where potential employers such as Wal-Mart and the IRS were handing out information and interviewing job candidates.

Many of the job seekers were retired and looking for ways to make extra cash. Others had not yet retired but had been laid off or lost contract work due to the weak economy.

Cynthia Thompson-Scott, of Hyattsville, had a contract as an office manager at a private school, but it was not renewed because of downsizing. "I'm 50 years old and I have to look for another job," she said while sitting at a computer. "It's the pits."

Others were simply bored with the slower pace of retirement and eager to find part-time work to keep them occupied. "Retirement for boomers is not the retirement of our grandparents, who played golf," Russell said. "Boomers want to stay engaged, live in metro areas, interact with different generations."

Mary McLean, a 66-year-old Northeast resident, retired earlier this year from her job in the accounting department of Ocean Conservancy, an environmental group.

"I've been home for about six months. I've straightened out the house. I go to the gym every day, so I just needed something to do," she said.

She also wouldn't mind having more spending money. "I have to watch my spending more," she said. "Just going to the gym every day, I have to buy a lot more gas for the car."

Fitzsimmons, the Arlington resident, is not only watching her spending. She's cutting back.

Although she retired from the Navy in 2003, she continued to work on a contract in the defense industry. She gave that up in January and has since been living off her military pension, which amounts to about half of what she earned while working. She has an IRA, mutual funds, money market accounts and a certificate of deposit as her back up.

The lack of extra income from the contract has been noticeable, especially in recent weeks as the economy has deteriorated. She has suspended shopping. She hardly dines out. Her car could use new tires, but she's holding off for now. She recently bundled her phone and cable service to shave off a few dollars from the monthly tab.

"I didn't notice those things as much as I do now that I don't have an extra paycheck," she said. "I'm nervous. I'm very, very nervous."