More than half of Canadians now in their 50s plan to keep on working after retiring in their 60s, in many cases to supplement their income, according to a new survey.

The national online survey, conducted last month for CIBC by Leger Marketing, found that Quebec residents were least likely to say they'll work after retirement, at 47 per cent.

Manitoba and Saskatchewan residents were the most likely to say they planned to work after retirement, at 59 per cent.

Atlantic Canada (54 per cent), Ontario (55 per cent), Alberta (57 per cent) and British Columbia (49 per cent) were closer to the national average of 53 per cent.

Meanwhile, about 29 per cent of those surveyed said they were not sure if they would work after retirement, while 14 per cent said they would definitely not work post retirement.

According to the survey, almost half of today's 50-59 year olds surveyed have less than $100,000 saved for retirement and many planned to use employment income in retirement to make up for lack of savings.

"The retirement landscape is shifting as baby boomers reach traditional retirement age with a smaller nest egg than they expected to have," said Christina Kramer, executive vice-president, retail distribution and channel strategy at CIBC.

"Many Canadians are now planning to draw on multiple sources of income including employment to fund their retirement, and that makes getting advice about how to manage your income, savings, and investments even more important."

Overall, the survey found that of those who plan to keep on working, 37 per cent said they would do so part time.

And only one third of those who plan to work post retirement said they would do so just for the money.

Two-thirds — or 67 per cent — saw working either as a way to either stay socially active or that they just found work enjoyable and wanted to stay involved in the workforce in some capacity.

The average age at which the respondents plan to retire varied by region, with those in Atlantic Canada, Quebec and Manitoba and Saskatchewan looking to retire earliest at age 62. Ontarians were next at 63 and followed by those in Alberta and British Columbia at age 64.

The survey involving 805 people and conducted between July 5 and July 8 is said by pollsters to have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.45 percentage points 19 times out of 20 on a national basis. Breakdowns by region or other subgroups are less accurate.