They prefer retail as a sphere for work (and part-time work) – 37%.
According to a survey conducted by an employment service, more and more non-working pensioners are returning to the labor market this year. They prefer to work or supplement their income in retail (37% of respondents), online services (27%), and goods delivery (13%). There`s a reason for this trend.
Photo: Gennady Cherkasov
Previously, non-working pensioners often concealed their part-time jobs by any means, fearing they would be automatically denied pension indexation. However, since 2025, the pensions of working pensioners are indexed exactly the same way as non-working ones, eliminating the need to keep additional income a secret.
The study results show that most of our veterans still have energy: 63% of survey participants are ready to work full-time. Service analysts note that several reasons compel older Russians to return to work. Specifically, a low personal pension amount or the desire to help relatives. «For a comfortable life in retirement, 54% of respondents consider a monthly income of 70-100 thousand rubles necessary,» state the study authors.
Although, a question arises here. Why would someone leave their main job for part-time work in retirement and then seek a new «haven» – say, the retail sector? After all, if a person worked at one company for several years, it means they were satisfied with the working conditions and salary. It`s unlikely the employer «asked» them to leave – with the current staff shortage, specialists are not easily dismissed.
In retail, a pensioner can`t expect much – typically junior service personnel: salesperson or cashier. The work is tiring, and if the cash doesn`t balance with sales, the shortfall has to be covered from their own pocket…
The staffing situation in marketplaces is even more acute. The salary for an employee issuing ordered goods can sometimes be as low as 11 thousand rubles a month… Perhaps not every pensioner would agree to such work.
Andrey Karpov, Chairman of the Board of the Association of Retail Market Experts, says that in conditions of staff shortage, they readily hire pensioners for permanent or temporary work.
— It all depends on how qualified a person is and whether they can perform their duties, he explains.
— What positions can a pensioner hold?
— We need salespeople, cashiers. If a person has a relevant specialty, they can take a position as a merchandiser or, say, a confectioner. But this is only if they have special skills and experience.
— Is there any seasonality in supermarket work that requires additional hands?
— There are certain periods – for example, pre-New Year – when there`s a certain rush, increased demand, a flood of customers. Then we bring in additional temporary staff, including pensioners. They are mainly involved in placing goods on the shelves because products are bought up very quickly.
— What is the salary for a cashier or salesperson in a supermarket?
— I can`t say for sure. Salaries vary greatly from region to region; they depend on the prevailing average salary in the subject of the Federation. Besides, every retail chain monitors competitor salaries; everyone aligns with each other. And if someone raises salaries, other market participants also raise theirs.
— Is online commerce, marketplaces, serious competition for retail chains?
— In terms of food products, supermarkets are the main leaders, the main participants in the grocery trade. Serious competition is observed in the sale of non-food items: electronics, fashion – clothing, footwear, cosmetics, perfumes, accessories. In these categories, online commerce strongly attracts customers. There`s a wider choice range, and goods are often lower in price. Here, traditional chain retail cannot withstand the competition. But in any case, today the share of online commerce is about 15% on average; everything else is offline trade.
As of the beginning of this year, there were just over 41 million pensioners in Russia, of which 8.2 million were officially working. In 2016, when the government froze pension indexation for working people, over 5 million pensioners left the labor market. Since then, their number in the country has steadily decreased. And only in 2024, when it became known that indexation for this category would resume, about 343 thousand pensioners returned to the market.
It seems that their number will now increase, as the saying goes, the call is strong…
