Public Employment Policy for an Aging Workforce

Americans are working longer. For many older workers, employment earnings are essential for self-sufficiency. When older workers are forced to change jobs, they suffer bigger earnings losses and take longer to find new jobs than prime-age workers. Unfortunately, public workforce policy has not adapted to serve older workers. Our strategic survey of published research evidence and government statistics suggests a variety of ways that employment programs could be adapted to benefit older workers. In this article, we examine the changing age composition of the labor force, the employment patterns of older workers, and offer specific improvements in public employment policy for an aging workforce.