Transcripts

The Retiree Agency

LINDA O`BRYON: The traditional view of retirement in America has people leaving work at age 65 or so, then heading full time to the golf course or the shuffleboard court. But that`s changing. Many retirees are now going back to work and many firms are finding ways to take advantage of that trend. Diane Eastabrook profiles one company that helps retirees combine work with leisure.

DIANE EASTABROOK, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: Handy work is a far cry from the job 65-year-old Jeanne Needham retired from three years ago, but the former bank administrator prefers digging in dirt to doing nothing.

JEANNE NEEDHAM, WORK KAMPER: I can`t not work because I wouldn`t know what to do with myself. I`ve got to stay busy. That`s why I`m not working in an office anymore.

EASTABROOK: Needham is one of 200 retirees combining work with camping at Kampgrounds of America sites across the U.S. KOA`s work camper program provides part-time work at more than 400 KOA sites. In exchange, they get paid and stay for free. Many work campers are retired couples, like Bob Forstner, who stays active cutting grass. BOB FORSTNER, WORK KAMPER: You hear so many people who retire and sit in a rocking chair and in a year they`re dead.

EASTABROOK: And wife, Sue, who likes to exercise her mind and earn spending money behind the campground`s computer. Work camping has actually been around for decades. In fact, KOA started its work camper program when the company got started over 40 years ago. Today, up to 80 percent of its work campers are retirees. KOA calls retirees a reliable resource in a tight job market.

LORA BURROWES, HUMAN RESOURCES V.P., KOA: When they arrive at a different campground as they move for the season, they are familiar with the computer system. They are familiar with the marketing programs, as well as how to deal with the customers the KOA way.

EASTABROOK: KOA`s work campers reflect a growing trend in the U.S. A recent Merrill Lynch survey found many retirees plan to work part-time for about a decade after retirement. That is a trend likely to continue with the nation`s 70 million baby boomers.

STEPHEN MITCHELL, DIRECTOR, MERRILL LYNCH RETIREMENT GROUP: There may be an excellent balance between boomers who want to continue to work in some capacity to fill jobs that would otherwise be going unfilled and perhaps being a drain on the economy.

EASTABROOK: Most of KOA`s retiree work campers stay for a few months at one site, then move onto another. It currently has about 1,200 resumes on file, many from retirees just like Needham, who still have the drive to work. Diane Eastabrook, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT, Granger, Indiana.