When Early Retirement Turns Into a Total Bore
“We’re seeing a massive number of people who, after retirement, come back to the work force by freelancing,” according to Stephane Kasriel, chief executive of Upwork, a site
that freelancers use to connect with clients in a range of fields.
Since founding Patina Solutions nine years ago, well before the “gig economy” notion took hold, he wrote a book called “Career
180s.” It is about experienced workers living longer, getting bored — and starting whole new professional lives.
Or, Mr. Kasriel says, you could hire yourself out as more of a coach, offering “the wisdom acquired” from building a business.
“And apparently he’s pretty good at it.”
In the immediate term, Mr. Kasriel notes, a tight labor market makes experienced talent more valuable.
“We were built for a guy like this,” says Mike Harris, the company’s chief executive.
Upwork and the Freelancers Union commission an annual study on this segment of the work force and found
that in the United States 16 million people age 55 and up did freelance work in 2017.
