An aging population is shaking up our country. Why it’s happening and what it means? Take a look around. We live in a country that is being transformed in ways both obvious and hidden by older Americans. Our growing numbers and enduring vitality ensure that this disruption will continue to roll through the American economy, culture, society, and politics penetrating deep into the very marrow of the nation.
Janine Vanderburg
We the people, at midlife and beyond, represent the third-largest economy in the world, after China and the U.S. as a whole. But we are more than just consumers and wealth holders: We are workers, thinkers, influencers, and innovators with the power to shape markets and exert pressure on corporations and elected leaders.
Despite decades of rampant ageism in the workplace, the number of workers 65 and older has mushroomed by 117 percent in a span of 20 years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Remarkably, employment of individuals 75 and older has increased by the same percentage.
And the trend is growing strong. “I’m getting a lot of requests by employers to talk to their teams about how they can integrate older workers in their workforce,” says Janine Vanderburg, senior strategist for Changing the Narrative, a national campaign funded by the NextFifty Initiative to end ageism.
Hiring older workers is not mere altruism: An estimated 10 million jobs in America are sitting unfilled. This has forced a change in recruitment to target those of all ages, Vanderburg says. Older workers’ preference for remote work, especially in retirement, is pushing employers to be more flexible about where work happens. There are also greater opportunities for part-time work.
One company with an informal “phased retirement” program is the financial services firm Principal. Employees 57 and older with at least 10 years of service are able to transition from full-time to part-time jobs. Principal also has a “boomerang” program that allows former employees to return as part-timers.
Tax preparation firm Jackson Hewitt is increasingly hiring retirees from January through April. “We find that retirees are really great at being interactive with clients and showing empathy,” says Alicia Branon, Jackson Hewitt’s director of talent programs and attraction.
Another trend is “returnships” short-term employment programs intended to help ¬people who have been out of the workforce ease their way back in. Trimble, a global industrial technology company, has partnered with the nonprofit Path Forward since 2020 to offer returnships. Most participants then get full-time jobs at Trimble, the company reports.
Finally, AARP continues to expand its Employer Pledge program, in which companies commit to equal consideration of all job applicants regardless of age. Last year, 568 additional companies with a total of 1.5 million employees signed the pledge, up from 477 new signers with 1.1 million workers in 2021. Courtesy Richard Eisenberg with AARP.