Nearly one in five Canadian workers say they’ll never be able to fully retire compared to workers in a sample of 15 industrialized nations, Canadians are among the worst off

Seventeen per cent of Canadian workers expect they’ll always have to work. This compares to the global figure of 12 per cent, according to The Future of Retirement: Life after Work, a large HSBC survey of people in Canada, Australia, France, Hong Kong, India and Mexico, among other countries. Canada rated just above the U.K. (19 per cent) and the U.S. (18 per cent). Meanwhile in Vancouver, the YWCA is getting 40 applicants for every 12 spots in a new program designed for men and women over 55 who want to get back into the workforce. The average age of participants is, shockingly, 62.

“We’ve had people that haven’t been able to pay their rent or are living at a relative’s or a friend’s couch,” YWCA career adviser Lynda McFee said. “There’s such a need out there with mature workers.”