Stu Goldberg pulls out a notebook before his night shift driving for Uber, reading a handwritten list of reminders as he prepares to shuttle passengers through New York City. The 74-year-old says he did not plan on chauffeuring strangers when he retired, but financially he returned to work anyway—an example of what the Associated Press describes as a growing trend of “unretiring” in the United States.
Goldberg said he values “the freedom” and “the flexibility” that gig driving provides and the chance to meet people, including conversations with passengers during his day-to-day route. He described using the work to keep earning after his software and telemarketing business ended, saying he was comfortable driving and saw the job as a way to make money and keep most of it.
The AP reports that many “unretired” workers are returning after decades-long careers in hospitals, universities and corporations, citing rising living costs and retirement savings that have proved insufficient. Carly Roszkowski, vice president of financial resilience at AARP, said that many people are working longer because they need to fund extra years and because “this concept of retirement for most people as like a cliff or a day they’re working towards really isn’t a reality for most.”
Other workers described how gig roles fit personal routines even as they shift financial risk. Barbara Baratta, 72, retired as a pediatric nurse in 2018 and later signed up with the pet care app Rover, taking jobs walking dogs and administering medication to cats. She said the work helps her stay active, including getting steps in and doing hill climbing, and she described advising people in her age group to consider the physical strength and pulling power of the dogs they agree to walk.
Baruch Schwartz, 78, said he began driving for Uber and Lyft after his wedding-photographer career became too physically demanding full-time. The AP said Schwartz found satisfaction in the feeling that he is “on a mission” while taking passengers home after medical appointments, describing the social aspect of meeting a variety of people and the conversations that can follow.
Gig platforms’ flexibility can come with trade-offs, workers and experts said. Goldberg described how time away from driving due to personal needs can reduce income because he does not have vacation or sick days, and he said that even when he likes the flexibility, he still pays insurance during gaps in work. He also described hitting potholes and paying $144 each time to replace tires, saying those episodes cost him money even though he kept working.
Researchers and gig-economy observers also point to what they say are limits of platform-based work. Alexandrea Ravenelle, a sociologist and gig economy researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said that earnings for drivers and delivery workers are controlled by the platform and that there are “no workplace protections,” adding that injured workers are “entirely out of luck.” Uber spokesman Ryan Thornton said Uber maintains commercial auto insurance coverage on behalf of its drivers, though New York City requires drivers to hold their own insurance.
For pet-care workers, the math of supplemental income also matters. Baratta said Rover keeps about 20% of what she earns, and she described charging $20 for a half-hour dog walk, not including the driving time to and from a client’s location. The AP report also includes LisaKay “LK” Foyle, 64, of Orange, Texas, who said she uses seniority on the Poplin app to accept higher-paying express laundry orders and decline lower-paying jobs, describing how she tries to maximize earnings within the platform’s rules.
In reporting on gig work by older adults, the AP said retirees and employment experts describe both advantages—such as the ability to set schedules—and disadvantages, including limited job protections and the possibility that wages may not cover costs arising during the work. The story frames “unretiring” as a response to financial pressure and longer life spans, but it also underscores the practical uncertainties that workers say can accompany contract labor arranged through apps.