Almost half (48 per cent) of Swedes now believe it is very or fairly likely that they will have some form of earned income as pensioners, up from 39 per cent last year, according to research from AMF.

The survey, based on 1,507 interviews with members of the Swedish public aged between 25 and 75, found that privately employed workers in Sweden are more likely to expect to continue working during retirement out of financial necessity, while white-collar employees are more likely to do so by choice.

Indeed, among privately employed blue-collar workers, 40 per cent said they expect to continue working in retirement to cope financially, compared with 31 per cent of municipal and regional employees.

By contrast, just 14 per cent of white-collar workers who expect to work beyond retirement said financial necessity was the main driver.

Overall, a quarter of respondents said they expect to continue working for financial reasons.

AMF pension communicator, Ebba Lagersten, argued the findings highlighted a growing divide between those who see extended working lives as a choice and those who view them as a necessity.

“We see a clear increase, with almost half of all workers believing they will continue to work as pensioners,” she explained.

“Becoming a jobber because you want to is positive, but for many, it is more of a must than an opportunity.”

The research also showed that health concerns may limit the ability of those with the greatest financial need to work longer.

Indeed, more than a quarter (28 per cent) of privately employed workers said health reasons would prevent them from working during retirement, compared with 17 per cent of municipal and regional employees.

This compares with 9 per cent of privately employed white-collar workers and 10 per cent of state employees.

Lagersten stressed that this underlined the uneven conditions for extending working lives across different professions.

“The fact that it is the same occupational groups that experience the greatest financial need to continue working who doubt that they can do it for health reasons says something,” she suggested.

“Health puts an end to many, especially in professions with high physical strain.”

The survey also pointed to a sharp increase among mid-career professionals.

Among respondents aged 35 to 44, 57 per cent said they believe they will work after retirement, up from 42 per cent last year.

Within this group, the proportion citing financial reasons rose from 16 per cent to 23 per cent.

Lagersten claimed this could reflect current economic pressures but noted that those earlier in their careers still have scope to influence their retirement outcomes.

“When you have more than twenty years left of working life, your pension savings have a long time to grow, and you also have good opportunities to influence them,” she concluded.

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