Older Workers and Age Bias

Older Workers on the Increase [U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Full report on the data www.bls.gov/spotlight/2008/older_workers/]
Between 1977 and 2007, total employment for all workers age 16 and over increased 59%. However, for workers age 65+, it increased 101%. For males age 65+, employment increased 75%, while the increase nearly doubled for females with an increase of 147%. Some reasons for the increase in older workers during the last thirty years include increased lifespan, repeal of the mandatory retirement laws, high debt load among the elderly, lack of savings, augmentation of income, and lifestyle choices.

Age Bias Influences Employers [Urban Institute. Full report on the data www.urban.org/publications/4 11705.html]
Employers value older workers for traits such as maturity, experience, and work ethic. However, they believe that older workers do not have current skills and that they are costly to retain... these are perceptions and may not be true.

Today, jobs are less physical and require more critical thinking and interpersonal skills, traits of educated older adults. Less educated older workers will continue to face employment challenges as they compete for jobs with unskilled younger workers.

Informative report, Will Employers Want Aging Boomers? is available from the link listed above.