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Health & Wellbeing
‘Quite a shift’: Micro-retirement trend takes off in Australia
Young Aussies are no longer waiting until later in life to enjoy retirement, with one woman revealing how she was able to leave her job before she turned 30.
Ally Foster
September 18, 2025 – 11:31AM
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People accessing their super accounts early has increased over 75 per cent since COVID
Former assistant treasurer secretary David Pearl says “it’s not a bad thing” if people withdraw from their superannuation accounts.
Young Aussies are no longer waiting until later in life to enjoy retirement, with a new trend seeing many of them stopping work before they are even out of their 20s.
The ‘micro-retirement’ trend is increasing in popularity, particularly among Gen Z and Millennial workers, seeing them turn away from the traditional retirement model that heavily relies on superannuation.
Sixty-five is typically viewed as the age when many Aussies intend to retire as this is when you are able to have unrestricted access to your super.
It is possible to access your super earlier, when you turn 60, if you have ceased a gainful employment arrangement.
In order to retire “comfortably”, Aussies need a superannuation balance of $690,000 at age 67 for couples or $595,000 for a single person, according to the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA).
But for young people, the idea of having to wait decades to enjoy not working is becoming increasingly unappealing, prompting many to look for a different avenue.
Zara Lim, 30, is one of the people who have jumped on the micro-retirement trend, which saw her take an extended career break in her 20s.
Zara Lim is one of the young people who has jumped on the micro-retirement trend. Picture: Supplied
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In 2023, the Melbourne woman decided to quit her full-time digital marketing job in favour of an 18-month long, self-funded break.
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Having endured a series of aggressive lockdowns throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, Ms Lim was keen to gain back lost time once restrictions lifted.
“There was really not much to do other than stay home and work. So that’s pretty much what I did for multiple years,” she told news.com.au.
“So after that, I was like, ‘Okay, I’ve got all this money saved up. I’ve already invested, I think I can take a career break’. I just wanted to celebrate the end of my 20s with this reward.”
She spent 15 of those months overseas, road tripping around Scandinavia and travelling all over Asia.
For many young people, the idea of being able to take over a year off work may seem like a far-fetched dream, but Ms Lim’s goal has always been building her finances so she can have flexibility.
In her early 20s, she started “aggressively” investing, with the goal of creating multiple streams of income.
Ms Lim left her job and travelled for 18 months. Picture: Supplied
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She bought her first investment property in Victoria at the age of 22.
“The property was pretty cheap,” she said, adding that it was in a rural region so she was able to enter the market “a lot quicker” than if she were buying in a metro area.
“After doing that, I saw it was possible to enter the market. I worked and freelanced on the side to increase my income and then, whenever I had enough, I would try and get another property.”
After adding multiple properties to her portfolio, she then focused on her freelance work, alongside her full-time job, before investing in shares in her late 20s.
The 30-year-old has also been focused on building her career. She now heads a department at her digital marketing agency and earns over $150,000 a year.
The young Aussie currently has $90,000 in her superannuation account, which is well over the $66,500 balance a person should have by 30 in order to be on track to a ‘comfortable retirement’, according to ASFA.
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‘Traditional’ retirement no longer the goal
While Ms Lim keeps a close eye on her balance, doesn’t make any additional payments into her super, preferring instead to invest in other ways.
She also doesn’t prescribe to the idea of a “traditional” retirement, meaning she isn’t looking to be solely reliant on her superannuation later in life.
“I don’t really view retirement as 65 anymore,” she said, adding that her focus is more on “financial freedom”.
“I don’t really think about the age, it is more the amount that I want to have invested and have saved.”
Gareth Croy, Managing Director of Your Future Strategy, is a “big fan” of the growing micro-retirement trend.
However, he said the key to a successful career break is all about strategy and not only taking into consideration your current financial position, but also understanding the long term impact and planning for that.
Speaking to news.com.au, the financial strategist revealed the key differences he has noticed between Gen Z and Baby Boomers when it comes to planning for their financial future.
Gareth Croy, Managing Director of Your Future Strategy, is a “big fan” of the growing micro-retirement trend. Picture: Supplied
Mr Croy noted it is common among older generations to accept the structures that are in place, such as superannuation, and trust that it will work as intended to help them during their retirement.
But when it comes to the younger generations, he said they are looking for more transparency and information about how those frameworks actually operate.
“Not just passively, they want to actually understand it and be more actively involved with decision making,” he said.
Mr Croy also believes Gen Z are more likely to have open conversations with their friends and family about their finances, whereas when Baby Boomers were younger those topics weren’t as openly discussed.
“So it is quite a different shift in the culture, as well as there being a lot more information readily available,” he said.
In his line of work, Mr Croy has seen that the idea of what constitutes financial freedom varies widely from person to person.
For some people, they are happy with planning to live off a “very modest budget” in retirement and simply enjoy the luxury of not having to work.
While others place more value on the type of lifestyle they want to be living and set their financial goals accordingly.
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For those who want to focus on building wealth into the future, Mr Croy said investing is key.
“What we see time and time again is that when people are investing, whether it’s superannuation or through other vehicles outside of super, being more actively engaged with it typically will see a better return,” he said.
“That compound result is what will generate significant results in the longer term.”
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