Here’s a sobering statistic: as of August, nearly half of the nation’s long-term unemployed—people out of work for more than six months—are over the age of 45. As more aging Americans choose to stay in the workforce longer, the question of how do we help them find meaningful work becomes more important.
The U.S. Department of Labor has designated this as National Employ Older Workers Week (NEOWW) to call attention to the many challenges older, midcareer workers have in rejoining the workforce—including age bias, the need for upskilling for some open roles, obligations as caregivers, and concerns for their own health in an ongoing pandemic.
Over the past year and a half, on the Work in Progress podcast, we’ve talked with leaders focused on the issue, exploring challenges, surfacing solutions, and, importantly, highlighting the demonstrated value older, experienced workers can bring to the workforce.
Today, we’re sharing some of those podcasts and insights.
Meeting the Midcareer Moment: The Challenges of the 45+ Job Seeker
Mona Mourshed, founding global CEO of Generation
Training and Upskilling Older Workers is Crucial to the Recovery
Ramsey Alwin, president & CEO of National Council on Aging
Don’t Overlook the Older Worker
Paul Irving, chairman of Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging
and Gary Officer, president & CEO of The Center for Workforce Inclusion
Nonprofit Expands Entrepreneurship Program for Adults Looking to Restart Their Careers
J.D. LaRock, president & CEO of NFTE
Age Bias Contributes to Fears of Job Loss Among Older Workers
David Gittins, executive director of Age Inclusion in Media
We also want to share this great web discussion we co-hosted with Encore.org examining the benefits of Integrating and Leveraging the Skills of Older Workers to create a multigenerational workforce that not only serves all workers but hiring companies as well.
The panelists include Marci Alboher, vice president of narrative change for Encore.org; Eunice Lin Nichols, vice president of innovation for Encore.org; Lindsey Pollak, author of The Remix: How to Lead and Succeed in the Multigenerational Workplace; and Chip Conley, founder of the Modern Elder Academy.
Join our WorkingNation Facebook Group
Want to keep up on the conversation around midcareer and older workers? We invite you to join our new Facebook group: WorkingNation Midcareer Workers Forum.
