Pursuing Your Career

There are a number of reasons why you might choose to pursue or extent your career rather than preparing for retirement. The desire to find fulfillment and the need to have additional income once retired are common reasons for retaining employment a little longer.

To ensure that the pursuit of your career is easier and well prepared, discuss the opportunities arising out of your position with your employer. You can ask to have a reduced and flexible work schedule in order to balance your work and your personal life.

You can also propose to your employer to become a mentor for less experienced employees and to put your expertise forward. This way you can share your knowledge and help your colleagues in carrying out projects.

If you want to change jobs, you can take advantage of the experience acquired in your field to offer your services as a self-employed worker. This may also be the ideal time to change careers based on interests that you want to explore. The questionnaire Bien se connaître (French only)  can help you target trades and occupations that are compatible with your preferences. You may also explore trades and occupations once your idea of a new career is clearer.

Job and career fairs are great way to network, learn about available job offers and meet employers. Also find out about employability organizations to obtain support services in your job search.

In most cases, basic income from the public pension plans of the governments of Canada and Québec will not be enough to maintain your lifestyle once retired. To protect against the financial risks related to retirement , determine your sources of income .

If you apply for your retirement pension under the Québec Pension Plan (QPP) before age 65, you will receive a lower pension for life. For more details, see the Calculation of your retirement pension  page.

Various tools are available to help you with your financial planning:

• Use the SimulR  tool to get an estimate of your pension amount under the QPP according to different scenarios by age.
• Use the CompuPension  tool to access the estimated value of your retirement pension under the QPP between ages 60 and 70 according to your own contributions registered in your name with the QPP.
• Consult your statement of participation under the QPP  indicating the amounts that could be paid to you when you retire.

To support you in your reflection, you can consult a financial advisor. They will help you evaluate the financial impact of extending your career on the pension you will receive once retired.

To stay up to date in your field, be sure to upgrade your skills. Your employer’s human resources department can assist you in this process. Various training courses are also offered to get on-the-job training. You will have the opportunity to learn new skills in your workplace.

Tax credit

If you are an older worker aged 60 or over, you could be entitled to a non-refundable tax credit to extend your career.

For more detail, see the Tax Credit for Career Extension  page.

Extending your working life on the labour market

Help for people aged 50 and over is available to support you in your efforts to pursue and extend your career.