Third of Retirees Say They Just Got Tired of Working

One-third of new Social Security beneficiaries retired simply because they were tired of working, while a quarter said they were driven from the work force by poor health, the agency reported today.

Seventy-six percent of those surveyed retired before age 65, with almost half the men and more than three-fifths of the women drawing their first Social Security check at 62--the minimum age for early retirement.

Only 9% of the men and 4% of the women delayed retirement until age 66 or later, according to the survey of those who first became eligible for benefits in 1980-81.

Forty percent of the men and 26% of the women said it was simply a desire to retire or the fact that they were tired of working that impelled them to retire. Only 27% of the men and 23% of the women blamed poor health.

In a similar survey conducted in 1968, 54% of male employees cited health problems as their main reason for leaving their last job.