Posted on Jul 23, 2007

Wall resident Joe Tonzola doesn't feel like slowing down just yet. The former Wall school principal took a month or so off after he retired at the end of June 2006. He jumped right back into the job market last August, taking a spot as an associate at Home Depot in Neptune. "I just can't sit still so I had to have something to do," said Tonzola, 61. He had worked as a teacher and principal in Wall since 1971. "Plus my wife was sending me here everyday with a list, so I figured I might as well get a job here and bring the stuff home afterwards," he joked. Tonzola's not alone. More retirees are staying in the workforce either because they want to or they have to. The number of those age 65 and over who work either full time or part time has climbed for years. According to AARP, between 1985 and 2006, the number of retirees who remained in the workforce jumped from 10.8 percent to 15.4 percent. And it's going to increase as so-called baby boomers begin to retire this year. Between 66 percent and 80 percent of them plan to work into their retirement years, AARP said. Businesses face the potential loss of institutional memory and experience. There are not enough people to replace them, especially in high skilled jobs, economists say. According to an AARP study in May, 63 percent of New York businesses believe they are likely to face a shortage of qualified workers within the next five years due to retirements. "You have these companies losing their talent, either through forced retirement or people just leaving the company and wanting to enjoy their retirements," said Joseph J. Scalice, president and chief executive officer of RetireeWorkforce.com, a Holmdel-based online job site. It has created a job market for retirees, he said. "Three to four months into their retirement, they say, I don't know if I want to just sit around and do nothing. I want to get back in the workforce in some capacity." Scalice, 27, saw the trend when he founded his company, which allows companies to post job notices on the Web to attract retired workers, and gives users the ability to search for posts. After he formed his company, he signed up clients including Staples, CVS Pharmacy, Pathmark, among others. He launched his Web site in May. Only 23 percent of companies have taken steps to prepare for potential employee shortages as a result of retirements, Scalice said, citing the AARP report. "It really is an opportunity of demographics," said E. Scott Wingerter, vice president of sales at RetireeWorkforce.com. "They just don't have the population to replace them." The company is marketing the site to attract retirees to view posts, including newspaper and Internet advertisements. Scalice also has held seminars at adult communities in the area. Older workers are an attraction for companies, said Jane Margesson, spokeswoman for AARP's New Jersey state office. "I think they offer experience, motivation and they are highly engaged," Margesson said. "These are all qualities that link to a company's performance." Middletown resident Robert Jewett, 70, went back to work after he sold his Laundromat business in 2002. "The business ate up most of my nest egg and I couldn't afford retirement," Jewett said. A retired salesman and sales manager, he went to work for a marketing company that had a contract to promote awnings. "This year the contract wasn't renewed ... so neither was mine," he said. "I have been looking for a job ever since." Jewett said he is looking for a customer service job. "Dealing with people is what I do," he said. Lakewood resident resident Charles Nicholas, 75, started looking for a part-time job after he retired from his career as a vice president of sales and marketing and general manager for packaging companies. He also has a consulting business. "It is just keeping me busy. How much golf and how much fishing can I do?" Nicholas said. "I honestly believe that if you just sit back and relax ... maybe you start to age a little bit, but I am not ready to do that." Tonzola, the retired educator, said work is a part of his personality. "In the summer, I worked I guess about 90 percent of the summers that we had off at other jobs," he said. "I don't feel like I am slowing down yet. I have a few aches and pains, but we all do."