As population ageing accelerates in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the traditional concept of retirement as a full and final exit from the workforce is rapidly becoming outdated. Pension systems face growing pressure, life expectancy continues to rise, and older adults express a clear desire to stay active, purposeful, and connected. For countries navigating this demographic shift without the institutional depth or wealth of larger high-income nations, there is an urgent need to rethink how we support longer, more flexible working lives.

 

This study explores how and why public sector employees in Mauritius consider returning to work or staying on beyond the official retirement age of 65. At the heart of this inquiry is a simple but pressing question: What shapes older workers’ decisions to remain economically active, and what structures either enable or constrain them?

 

To answer this, we spoke with nearing-retirement employees from various government institutions and surveyed 905 others across 40 occupational categories. While the methodology blended qualitative interviews and large-scale quantitative data, our focus was always on understanding the deeper motivations behind late-career choices.

 

Across the board, older workers expressed willingness to continue contributing, through part-time roles, mentorship, or even second careers. But the systems around them have not yet caught up. The real drivers of bridge employment intentions were not formal regulations or economic necessity alone, but normative and cultural expectations: the desire to remain useful, the need for routine, the value of social recognition. In contrast, the absence of flexible work policies, intergenerational tensions, and rigid retirement norms often created friction. Health and perceived benefits such as staying mentally engaged or socially connected were strong motivators. Yet risks, especially the fear of reduced leisure, increased stress, or negative workplace dynamics still loomed large.

 

These insights suggest a need to shift how we frame retirement; not as a full stop, but as a roundabout with multiple exits: volunteering, mentorship, phased roles, or creative ventures. The public sector has a powerful opportunity to lead the way in normalizing age-inclusive employment practices. The study findings propose moving beyond financial incentives to foster a culture of work-life integration, purposeful engagement, and policy experimentation. What if institutions piloted phased retirement programs? Or restructured job roles for older workers to act as mentors and institutional memory keepers? This work lays the foundation for broader collaboration across public, private, and civil society sectors.