Retirees feel 'unhappy due to no longer working'

A new government survey has revealed that many retirees feel anxious when they first give up work, the Daily Mail reports.

The Department for Work and Pensions poll shows that a majority of pensioners felt "unhappy" on the first day of their retirement - compared to 48 per cent who felt "happy".

While it might be supposed that this is because the extra financial security gained from a working salary - helping people to pay off debt - Keith Frost at the Age and Employment Network said that this might not necessarily be the case.

"If they retire, people have suddenly got two or three decades facing them and they wonder how on earth they are going to fill the time," he said.

"More and more people want to keep on working; some of the reasons are financial, but it is not all about money."

Pensions minister Mike O'Brien added: "The idea that one day you work and the next you stop can be a shock to the system."

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