Average retirement age rises to 65 However, of those choosing to work longer, more were taking up part-time, rather than permanent, jobs, the ONS said. Joanne Segars, chief executive of the National Association of Pension Funds, said: "Some people are choosing to work longer, but more and more find themselves stuck at work because their savings and pension are inadequate. They get a shock when they find they have to keep working while their friends retire. Our society isn't putting enough aside for its older age. We need to get more people saving for their retirement, and to encourage them to start as early as possible. The state pension is also in need of urgent reform, and we need a much simpler and more generous system. The Coalition has brought forward increases to the state pension age to help pay for rising life longevity. The age at which both men and women can start drawing their pension will rise to 66 by 2020, six years earlier than Labour had planned. The Chancellor also plans to increase the state pension age to 67 by 2028, rather than by 2036 under current rules. The ONS figures showed that increasing the state pension age will reduce the burden of an ageing population on those still working. There were 3.2 people of working age supporting each person of state pension age and over in 2010, and without changes to the state pension age, this ratio would drop to two by 2051 - piling greater pressure on the working population. But under current legislation the state pension age has already started to increase for women and is set to rise to 68 for both sexes by 2046, meaning 2.9 people of working age will support each person of state pension age by 2051. Visit Telegraph Retirement Services for expert advice on Maximising Retirement Income