Retirement During COVID

HOST: You have heard plenty, especially from employers who can't find workers, about the Great Resignation. But here's what's also happening, the Great Retirement. Since February 2020, some 2.6 million more Americans than expected retired. HOST: So, why? Well, a few main reasons. One, workers leaving in-person jobs to avoid catching COVID-19; HOST: Donna Booth retired from her job managing a home for the developmentally disabled at age 74. DONNA BOOTH, Retiree: I was frightened. And I did have nightmares. And it was it was just affecting everything about my life in terms of like, I don't want to die for this. HOST: Yes, COVID hastened her exit, but not just because of the danger. The job had morphed into more than she could bear. DONNA BOOTH: I became a first responder, and I had a lot of vulnerable people and staff members working for me. And the paperwork increased. The demands increased. And so it became a very, very different job. HOST: For some, care-giving needs drove them to retire. Helping her daughter drew 63-year-old Norma Jasso from her 17-year job at San Diego Gas and Electric. NORMA JASSO: I was thinking, I have lived two-thirds of my life. I have one-third to go. What do I really want to do with that time? And taking care of the baby, helping my daughter is critical.