Best Part-Time Jobs in Retirement: 25 Flexible Ideas

Retirement is supposed to give you more control over your time. But that doesn't necessarily mean you want to stop working completely.

Maybe you want to earn some extra money to make your retirement savings last longer. Maybe you want to fund travel, help your grandchildren, pay for home improvements, or simply give yourself more spending money without increasing withdrawals from your portfolio.

Or perhaps the financial side of retirement is already comfortable and you simply miss the structure, social interaction, and sense of purpose that work provided.

That's where part-time work can make a lot of sense.

The goal doesn't have to be going back to a traditional 40-hour workweek. A few hours a week doing something you enjoy—or something that makes good use of your existing skills—can provide income, structure, and a reason to get out of the house without taking over your retirement.

Part-Time Work in Retirement Is Becoming More Common

Working after retirement isn't unusual anymore. Statistics Canada reported that in 2025, 41.6% of employed Canadians age 65 and older worked part-time. Even more interesting, 79.9% of those part-time workers said personal preference was the reason they worked part-time.

Part-time older workers averaged 16.2 hours per week in 2025. That is a very different picture from simply returning to a full-time career.

Statistics Canada also found that among Canadians age 55 and older who had previously retired, 10% were working in 2023. Of those working after retirement, 73% worked part-time and about one-third were self-employed.

The pattern is similar in the United States. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 38.3% of employed Americans age 65 and older worked part-time in 2024.

In other words, retirement and employment don't necessarily have to be an either-or decision.

Why Do Retirees Want a Part-Time Job?

There isn't one reason people work after retirement. For some, it's primarily financial. For others, the money is secondary.

1. Supplementing retirement income: A part-time income can reduce the amount you need to withdraw from savings and investments. This can be especially useful during periods of high inflation or poor investment returns.
2. Funding something special: Maybe you want to pay for a big trip, a renovation, a new hobby, or gifts for your family without taking the money out of your retirement portfolio.
3. Staying socially connected: Retirement can remove a major source of daily social interaction. A part-time job can provide regular contact with coworkers, customers, students, or clients.
4. Keeping your skills active: After decades of developing professional expertise, it can be rewarding to continue using it without maintaining the responsibilities of a full-time career.
5. Creating structure: Some retirees enjoy having somewhere to be two or three mornings a week. A little structure can make the rest of the week feel more enjoyable rather than less.
6. Building a financial cushion: Part-time income can provide another source of cash when markets are down, unexpected expenses appear, or your original retirement budget needs to be adjusted.

The important distinction is that part-time work should support your retirement—not replace it. The best retirement job is one that fits the life you want to live.

25 of the Best Part-Time Jobs for Retirees

The right job depends on your skills, health, interests, desired income, and how much time you actually want to spend working. Here are 25 possibilities worth considering.

1. Consultant
   • Why: Put decades of professional experience to work without returning to a full-time position.
   • How to get it: Contact former employers, industry contacts, professional associations, or local businesses.
   • Examples: Engineering, management, operations, finance, sales, project management, or technical consulting.
2. Tutor or Teacher
   • Why: Share knowledge with students while choosing a schedule that works for you.
   • How to get it: Look at local schools, community organizations, tutoring services, or private clients.
   • Examples: Math, science, music, languages, trades, computer skills, or academic tutoring.
3. Virtual Assistant
   • Why: Administrative work can often be performed remotely and on a flexible schedule.
   • How to get it: Network with small businesses and entrepreneurs or use established freelance marketplaces.
   • Examples: Scheduling, email management, research, bookkeeping support, and data entry.
4. Retail Associate
   • Why: Retail can provide predictable shifts and plenty of social interaction.
   • How to get it: Check local stores, garden centres, hardware stores, supermarkets, and seasonal employers.
   • Examples: Customer service, cashier, stocking, sales, or seasonal work.
5. Dog Walker or Pet Sitter
   • Why: A good option if you enjoy animals and want work that gets you outside.
   • How to get it: Build a local client base through referrals, community advertising, or established pet-care platforms.
   • Examples: Dog walking, pet sitting, feeding pets, or checking on animals while owners travel.
6. Handyman or Home Repair Specialist
   • Why: Retirement can be an excellent time to turn practical skills into income.
   • How to get it: Start with referrals from neighbours and friends and check local licensing requirements.
   • Examples: Painting, minor repairs, furniture assembly, carpentry, or seasonal maintenance.
7. Tour Guide
   • Why: Combine local knowledge with an opportunity to meet people.
   • How to get it: Contact museums, historical sites, tourism organizations, and tour companies.
   • Examples: Walking tours, historical tours, food tours, or local attractions.
8. Fitness or Wellness Instructor
   • Why: Stay active while helping others do the same.
   • How to get it: Obtain appropriate certification and check opportunities at gyms and community centres.
   • Examples: Yoga, stretching, walking groups, swimming, or personal training.
9. Library Assistant
   • Why: Libraries can provide a quieter environment with regular interaction with the community.
   • How to get it: Check municipal libraries and local library systems for part-time positions.
   • Examples: Shelving, customer assistance, programs, and administrative support.
10. Driver or Delivery Worker
    • Why: Driving can offer flexibility for people who enjoy being on the road.
    • How to get it: Look at local delivery companies, grocery services, courier companies, and rideshare opportunities where available.
    • Examples: Grocery delivery, courier work, medical transportation, or rideshare driving.
11. Event Staff
    • Why: Events can offer occasional shifts rather than a fixed weekly commitment.
    • How to get it: Contact arenas, theatres, convention centres, sports venues, and event companies.
    • Examples: Usher, ticket attendant, guest services, or event support.
12. Gardening or Landscaping
    • Why: An attractive option if you enjoy working outdoors.
    • How to get it: Start with neighbours and referrals or work seasonally for a landscaping company.
    • Examples: Gardening, planting, pruning, lawn care, and seasonal cleanup.
13. Bed-and-Breakfast or Vacation-Rental Host
    • Why: If you have suitable space, hosting can turn an existing asset into income.
    • How to get it: Research local rules, insurance requirements, taxes, and operating costs before getting started.
    • Examples: Renting a room, guest suite, or vacation property.
14. Campground Host
    • Why: Ideal for retirees who enjoy the outdoors, camping, and meeting travellers.
    • How to get it: Look at municipal, provincial, state, federal, and private campgrounds.
    • Examples: Guest assistance, site monitoring, light maintenance, or check-in duties.
15. Craft or Artisan Business
    • Why: Turn a hobby into a small income-producing business.
    • How to get it: Sell through local markets, craft fairs, online marketplaces, or your own website.
    • Examples: Woodworking, pottery, knitting, jewellery, artwork, or handmade furniture.
16. Tour Bus or Shuttle Driver
    • Why: Combines driving with customer interaction and sightseeing.
    • How to get it: Check local tour companies, hotels, airports, and transportation providers.
    • Examples: City tours, sightseeing buses, hotel shuttles, or seasonal tourism work.
17. Seasonal Tax Preparer
    • Why: Tax preparation can provide concentrated seasonal work rather than a year-round commitment.
    • How to get it: Look for training and seasonal opportunities with tax preparation firms or build an independent practice if qualified.
    • Examples: Preparing personal tax returns or assisting small-business clients.
18. Photographer
    • Why: A photography hobby can become a flexible side business.
    • How to get it: Build a portfolio and start with local referrals.
    • Examples: Family portraits, community events, property photography, or small weddings.
19. Real Estate Professional
    • Why: Real estate can suit retirees who enjoy houses, sales, and meeting people.
    • How to get it: Licensing requirements vary by province or state, so research the requirements where you live.
    • Examples: Buyer representation, property showings, referrals, or administrative support.
20. Translator or Interpreter
    • Why: Bilingual retirees can turn language skills into flexible work.
    • How to get it: Look for local organizations, businesses, agencies, and freelance opportunities.
    • Examples: Document translation, interpretation, or language tutoring.
21. Freelance Writer or Editor
    • Why: Writing and editing can often be done remotely and around your own schedule.
    • How to get it: Build a portfolio and contact businesses, publications, websites, and nonprofit organizations.
    • Examples: Articles, newsletters, technical writing, proofreading, or editing.
22. Customer Service Representative
    • Why: Customer-service jobs can make good use of communication and problem-solving skills.
    • How to get it: Look directly at company career pages and established employment services, especially for remote positions.
    • Examples: Telephone support, online customer service, appointment scheduling, or technical support.
23. Companion or Caregiver
    • Why: If you enjoy helping people, companion work can be meaningful and socially rewarding.
    • How to get it: Look at reputable local agencies and understand exactly what duties and qualifications are required.
    • Examples: Companionship, errands, meal preparation, transportation, or household assistance.
24. Museum or Gallery Docent
    • Why: A great fit for retirees interested in history, art, science, or their local community.
    • How to get it: Contact museums, galleries, historical sites, and cultural organizations.
    • Examples: Tours, visitor education, presentations, or exhibit assistance.
25. Start Your Own Website or Small Online Business
    • Why: Retirement can give you time to build something of your own without relying on it as your primary income.
    • How to get it: Start with a subject you understand, build useful content, and learn how online businesses actually generate revenue.
    • Examples: Blogging, educational content, digital products, niche websites, or affiliate marketing.

How to Choose the Right Retirement Job

The highest-paying opportunity isn't necessarily the best retirement job. Once you're retired, your definition of a good job may be completely different from what it was at age 35.

Before accepting a position, consider what you actually want the job to accomplish.

• Want more income? Focus on consulting, specialized work, tutoring, skilled trades, or professional services where your existing experience has value.
• Want more social interaction? Consider retail, teaching, tourism, events, customer service, or community organizations.
• Want to stay active? Look at gardening, pet care, walking, fitness, tourism, or other jobs that keep you moving.
• Want to work from home? Consider consulting, writing, editing, bookkeeping, virtual assistance, tutoring, or an online business.
• Want maximum flexibility? Self-employment, consulting, seasonal work, and project-based jobs can provide more control over your schedule.
• Want to travel? Campground hosting, seasonal tourism, tour work, and travel-related positions may fit particularly well.

Don't Forget the Cost of Working

A $20-per-hour job isn't necessarily worth $20 per hour of additional retirement spending power.

Think about transportation, parking, meals away from home, clothing, equipment, insurance, licensing, professional fees, and other expenses associated with the job.

If you drive 30 minutes each way to work, for example, you're giving up substantially more time than the hours shown on your timesheet.

There can also be tax consequences. Additional employment or self-employment income can affect your overall tax bill and, depending on your circumstances, government benefits or income-tested programs.

That's why it's useful to compare the after-tax income and actual cost of working rather than simply looking at the advertised hourly wage.

Working in Retirement and CPP or OAS

If you're in Canada, working while receiving government retirement benefits is possible. Canada.ca confirms that you don't have to stop working when you begin receiving CPP or OAS.

If you're receiving CPP and continue working before age 65, CPP contributions generally continue. Between ages 65 and 70, you can choose to stop contributing. If you continue contributing while eligible, you may build CPP Post-Retirement Benefits that increase your retirement income.

Working while receiving OAS is also possible. However, higher income can result in the OAS recovery tax, commonly known as the OAS clawback.

This makes retirement income planning particularly important if you're considering a part-time job. The extra income may be valuable, but you should understand how it interacts with your pension income, withdrawals, taxes, and government benefits.

If you're in the United States, employment income can similarly interact with income taxes and, depending on your age and circumstances, Social Security taxation and other income-tested considerations.

Part-Time Work Can Be a Retirement Bridge

One of the most powerful uses of part-time work is as a bridge between full-time employment and fully stopping work.

Instead of going directly from a full-time salary to zero employment income, you might gradually reduce your working hours.

For example:

• Full-time work until 60
• Four days per week from 60 to 63
• Two or three days per week from 63 to 66
• Occasional consulting after 66
• Full retirement when you are ready

This kind of phased retirement can provide income while giving you more time to adjust to retirement before leaving the workforce completely.

It can also give your retirement savings more time to grow and reduce the number of years you need to make substantial withdrawals from your portfolio.

What If You Don't Need the Money?

That's perfectly fine.

Retirement work doesn't have to be about financial necessity. You might work because you enjoy teaching. You might consult because you love solving difficult problems. You might work at a golf course because you enjoy being outside and talking with other golfers.

The point of retirement is not necessarily to eliminate work. It's to gain more control over how you spend your time.

If a part-time job gives you money, social interaction, purpose, or simply something enjoyable to do on a Tuesday morning, it may be a worthwhile part of your retirement.

For more ideas, take a look at our articles on Retirement Budgeting, Being Busier in Retirement, and Rental Properties for Retirement Income.

Don't Let a Part-Time Job Replace Your Retirement Plan

A part-time job can be an excellent addition to retirement, but it shouldn't become an excuse to avoid understanding your overall financial picture.

Before deciding how much you need to work, look at your expected retirement income, spending, taxes, pensions, government benefits, investment withdrawals, and the timing of major expenses.

A job that brings in $15,000 a year could make a meaningful difference if it allows you to delay withdrawals from your investments or reduce the amount you need to withdraw during a market downturn.

On the other hand, if your retirement plan already works comfortably, you may discover that you only need a small amount of additional income—or none at all.

Conclusion

The best part-time job in retirement isn't necessarily the one that pays the most. It's the one that fits the retirement you actually want.

Consulting can keep your professional skills sharp. Tutoring can let you share decades of knowledge. Pet sitting can get you outside. Retail can provide social interaction. Seasonal work can provide income without committing you to a year-round schedule.

And if you have a hobby or business idea you've always wanted to try, retirement may be the perfect time to turn it into a modest source of income.

The important thing is to make the decision as part of your overall retirement strategy. Understand what you need to spend, how much income your investments and pensions can provide, and how additional employment income affects your taxes and government benefits.

Retirementize can help you explore your retirement income, spending, savings, and withdrawal strategy so you can see how different decisions affect your long-term plan.

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