Retirement costs the economy thousands of skilled workers every year. While some are delighted to be rid of the nine-to-five routine, many miss a career. Part-time work is a way to exploit decades of experience, and the internet is a good source of flexible part-time work.

One of the newer sites is retire2work.com, founded by Mike Anderson, a 49-year-old web entrepreneur. Mr Anderson was inspired by chats with neighbours who had retired early from executive roles with blue chip companies but found golf and gardening less than rewarding. He says: “They have impressive CVs. It makes sense for a business to take them on for a short project or for a few days a month.”

Potential candidates complete an online CV that employers search by criteria such as job area and rate of pay. Some employers advertise jobs on the site, but most prefer to approach strong candidates. Retire2work is free to candidates, but employers pay commission of about 5 per cent of the employee’s wages.

Michael Clark, managing director of Marketecture, a marketing agency, sourced accountants for short projects, and says that he is happy to pay for a quality candidate.

The site is branded as offering high-calibre professionals, but there are no specific requirements. Mr Anderson says that experience is key and the term “professional” covers chefs and nurses as well as chartered accountants, solicitors and doctors. Candidates name their day rate. Typically, the figure is about £150, but a former CEO could command as much as £1,200.

The tax and state pension issues are explained at direct. gov.uk. Those employed under the Revenue’s PAYE system can use retire2work as a payroll agency – the employer deducts and pays income tax and national insurance via the site.

Retire2work has been online for only a few weeks. About 50 companies have signed up so far and Mr Anderson says that there has been interest from several big names, including RBS, Thomas Cook and HM Revenue & Customs.

Other places to look for part-time work include mainstream recruitment websites, such as jobsite.co.uk, exec-appointments.com and jobcentreplus.gov.uk, the Government’s site. For high-level, part-time volunteer opportunities, try reach-online.org.uk, which matches people with managerial, professional, business and technical expertise with 900 organisations, including Oxfam, Mencap and Cancer Macmillan.

Volunteering rewards the conscience, but Mr Anderson believes that growing numbers of retired people will be forced to take on occasional paid work as poor pension planning begins to bite in Gordon Brown’s Britain.

CASE STUDY: Snapped up within a week

Alan Brown, of Rochdale, Lancashire, signed up with Retire2work on the site’s first day in action. The 52-year-old accountant, who took voluntary redundancy in 2003 to spend more time with his family, was snapped up within a week by Marketecture, a marketing agency in nearby Manchester.

Mr Brown, pictured with his son, Elliot, 5, will now spend two or three days a month working on the company’s accounts for a net day rate of £242. Marketecture gains the services of an accountant with more than 30 years’ experience at top companies, including Woolworths and United Cooperatives. Mr Brown receives a few thousand pounds of handy extra income without compromising life at home.

“None of the other agencies I know are interested in part-time work,” he says. “I will be recommending the site to a couple of friends who are in a similar position.”