Remove Barriers to the Retention and Hiring of Older Workers, Including Age Discrimination.

NUMBER: PC 11
TITLE: Retention of Older Workers
An aging population in combination with a falling fertility rate diminishes the size of the national workforce. The impending retirement of the Baby Boom generation can have compounding effects, which destabilize the overall strength of the economy. Employers will lose many experienced workers, and likely face skill gaps in their workforce. Meanwhile, pressures on the Social Security and Medicare programs will increase while tax funds for the programs will decrease.

Currently, federal laws are barriers to keeping older workers in the workforce because they discourage employers from using flexible employment arrangements that encourage older workers to stay employed.

Furthermore, workplace discrimination involving Americans of older age and persons with physical, sensory, and neurological impairments related to chronic illness and disability is increasing according to published scientific research studies. Strategies to prevent age discrimination from affecting opportunities for older workers are needed. While the Americans with Disabilities Act outlaws discrimination in employment on the basis of disability, the labor force participation rate continues around 32% for people with disabilities and 81% for those without disabilities.