Older workers are more
likely to stay on the job when they have control over hours,
workplace flexibility, job autonomy and learning
opportunities
WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 /PRNewswire/
-- Older workers will usher in new patterns of working and
retirement according to two new reports released by The
Center on Aging and Work/Workplace Flexibility at Boston
College and Families and Work Institute. The release of the
reports coincides with the White House Conference on Aging,
which will make recommendations to Congress and the
President about issues facing the aging workforce.
The reports, based on data
from the Families and Work Institute's National Study of the
Changing Workforce, offer one of the most comprehensive
analyses to date of the demographics and working situations
of older workers, defined as workers 50 years-of-age or
older. The reports reveal the work preferences of older
workers as well as how they perceive the workplace of the
future.
"The Baby Boomer
Generation has always approached life differently," says
Ellen Galinsky, president and co-founder of Families and
Work Institute.
"In 2006, Boomers will begin turning 60, and
they will likely change what we know about aging and
retirement in America. For example, we know that Baby
Boomers are more likely to be work-centric than other
generations and the majority of older workers do not want to
reduce their job responsibilities, but rather want to keep
the same level of responsibilities in the future."
The first report, Context
Matters: Insights about Older Workers from the National
Study of the Changing Workforce, found that older workers
are more likely to continue working when they have more
control over their work hours, workplace flexibility, job
autonomy and learning opportunities.
The second report, The
Diverse Employment Experiences of Older Men and Women in the
Workforce, found that female workers over the age of 50 are
at a distinct disadvantage to older male workers in that
they earn substantially less than men.
"Policy makers need to
consider options that will minimize the impact of these
disadvantages so women's transitions into retirement won't
be jeopardized," says Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes, Ph.D.,
co-director of the Center on Aging & Work at Boston College.
For copies of the reports
and information on the aging workforce, visit
http://www.bc.edu/agingandwork or
http://www.familiesandwork.org/.