The purpose of the study is to analyze the changing needs for digital competencies among rural working pensioners. The authors distinguish professional and social digital competencies. Retraining programs for pensioners and pre-retirees can be divided into free courses organized by the state; courses paid for by organizations where the pensioner works; and courses paid for by students. A survey of rural pensioners shows their reluctance to use distance learning technologies, especially for basic digital skills. This leads to problems in organizing the educational process in large areas with a low rural population density. A survey of the same respondents in 2019 and 2020 showed an increase in demand for digital competencies. Among rural working pensioners, there is an increasing lack of knowledge in the field of cybersecurity, setting up and participating in video conferences, searching for information, downloading and installing software, making presentations, etc. © 2020 Copyright for this paper by its authors.