Australian retirees contribute $16.5bn in unpaid work each year, research reveals

Australian retirees are performing unpaid work equivalent to about 321,000 full-time jobs each year, with new research putting the value of their contribution at a total of $16.5bn annually.

Retirees contribute an average 386.3 hours per year through unpaid care, volunteering, community leadership and mentoring, according to UniSuper’s Retire with Purpose research.

But 84 per cent of Australians surveyed believe retirees’ skills and experience are not being used to their full potential, as another 2.5 million people are expected to enter retirement over the next decade.

In Newcastle, retiree Phil Williams, 76, is part of that largely unpaid workforce, spending up to eight hours per week during summer teaching adults to swim at ocean baths.

Mr Williams, from Merewether, said he began helping after noticing people struggling in the water and offering them advice.

“I became involved in teaching adults how to swim well because I saw so many people struggling in the water,” he said.

Mr Williams teaches adults from a range of backgrounds and ages, including migrants who can be highly anxious about entering the water.

One of his most memorable students was a young Bangladeshi man who initially struggled to swim.

“He eventually came to love the water and swam 50m non-stop,” Mr Williams said.

“His smile and reaction were priceless. We are now like father and son. A beautiful thing.”

Mr Williams said the benefits extended beyond helping people become stronger swimmers.

“Swimming offers adults so much in terms of physical and mental health,” he said.

“Also connecting with like-minded people afterwards with coffee and a chat.

“My reward is to witness achievements and the happy expressions on faces. I have many close friends because of teaching swimming.”