Some 2.8m over-50s in the UK have returned to work after being previously retired, according to new research from Legal & General.

However, only 3% plan to or are considering returning to full-time work, the study suggested.

Most, who have not previously returned to work after retiring, said they will pursue either part-time or seasonal work (14%).

The research also uncovered some other interesting starts about returner workers. More than a third (37%) found they needed a greater income following rising living costs.

More than three fifths (62%) said they wanted to stay mentally active and a third (32%) wanted to return to work to give them a sense of purpose.

However, returner workers face challenges: 24% said they experienced tiredness, 22% lost out on free time while 17% found a change in working culture led to difficulty.

Lorna Shah, managing director, retail retirement and chief executive of Legal and General Home Finance, said: “Rising living costs are driving people back to work to top up their income as the pressure is on to make their money go further.

“But as our research indicates, people are not returning to full-time roles, so they will likely be topping up the money they make from work with some form of income from their pension pot.”

She said Legal & General saw sales of fixed-term annuities more than double last year as customers sought the benefits of a predictable and flexible retirement income.

• The research was carried out online by Opinium Research among 3,000 UK adults aged 50+ between 4-26 January. According to ONS statistics there are more than 25,707,465 UK adults aged 50+. 11% of UK adults (319) over 50 have returned to work after previously having been retired. 319/3000 * 25,707,465 (UK adult population) = 2,733,560 (shorthand 2.7m)