Lower income, social isolation… Retiring from work is not an easy step for everyone. So much so that some take the initiative – by desire or by constraint – to combine their retirement with a job. All those insured under the general scheme have the possibility of resorting to what is called “cumulation of employment and retirement”.

To do this, you must have reached the age for obtaining retirement at the maximum rate and have obtained all your basic and supplementary pensions. Note: you can resume work immediately if you work for a new employer, but must wait six months if you return to your last employer.

According to the latest figures from the Cnav, around 580,000 insured persons are in combined employment and retirement on February 13, 2023. “Among the retirees who combine salaried activity, there are almost as many women as men. Their distribution by age is quite extensive: 1% are under 62 years old, 88% are between 62 and 74 years old and 11% are over 75 years old”, specifies the National Old Age Insurance Fund.

Christelle Z., 68, is, like other policyholders, forced to continue working to meet her needs. Originally from Mauritius, she arrived in France 43 years ago, where she started working in personal services: childcare, housekeeping… For Planet, she tells how the combining employment and retirement is essential to its survival.

“Then I worked in catering, in a hotel in Montparnasse in Paris where I prepared breakfasts,” she says. In September 2012, she became a housekeeper at APEF, a personal assistance company. “I continued to work in a school and in a private home for childcare and cleaning,” continues Christelle.

For the 60-year-old, quitting work was never an option. As soon as she retired, she had to continue working before she could live decently. “I made this decision out of necessity. I have to combine my retirement with a complementary job, otherwise it is impossible for me to live. My retirement only pays my rent,” she told Planet.

How much does Christelle earn per month thanks to the combination of employment and retirement?

Christelle’s retirement pension amounts to 760 euros. As a home worker at the APEF, the retiree manages to earn 360 euros more per month, and another 300 euros thanks to her work in a school.

If she appreciates the feeling of being useful, and of helping others, Christelle is exhausted by her living conditions: “I am tired. The day I can no longer work, I will return to Mauritius because I I have my father’s house there. Ideally, I would have liked to stay here in France”, she regrets.