50+ Redefining Oregon Workforce

By: Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2007-03-29 16:38:31.454123-05:00

At age 50, Forest Grove resident Richard Lucero, a printing press technician for more than two decades, found his job replaced by a machine.

After searching for other jobs and careers, he ended up at Portland Community College following a passion he had while a young medic in the U.S. Army—earning a degree in nursing. Lucero, now 54, works as a registered nurse at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center.

Dottie Soracco, a 70-year-old divorcee who calls Medford her "home base," works nearly full-time through an arrangement with AARP National Employer Team member Kelly Temporary Services on what, where and when she wants. Crisscrossing the state in her RV, Soracco has worked as an actress, model, motor home delivery driver, home and garden show representative and immunization-clinic administrator.

According to Jerry Cohen, AARP Oregon State Director, and Dr. Preston Pulliams, Portland Community College (PCC) District President, both Lucero and Soracco—though very different cases—are representative of the role older workers increasingly can and will play in the state's workforce, and embody the results of three new research reports from AARP and PCC.

The three reports are:
  • Boomers Go to College
    A survey of more than 1,300 older Oregon college students
  • AARP Oregon Poll of Employers in the State on Age 50+ Employees
    A survey of 400 Oregon employers
  • Oregon Gray Matters: How Will Older Workers Help Fill Oregon's Workforce Demand?
    A review of the state's aging population impact on the workforce

"These reports represent the first unique, comprehensive look at the changing demographics we all know are coming, and their findings give us an important baseline for awareness, understanding and action," said Pulliams, who has testified on the reports before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging.

In the Boomers Go to College survey, many more PCC students than expected—four out of five—were attending classes to upgrade their skills to re-enter the workforce or to re-career altogether.

"These findings and others affirm that it's critical for higher education institutions, the State of Oregon and other partners to develop ways to support older workers who want to remain in or return to the workforce and to help businesses retain an older workforce," Pulliams added.

AARP Oregon's survey of hundreds of Oregon employers showed that the majority (67 percent) anticipated labor shortages in the next five years, but nearly two-thirds had not yet prepared for those challenges. At that same time, nearly seven in 10 say they have hired older employees, and half say their organization has rehired retired employees.

And a variety of other AARP survey work dramatically shows that up to 80 percent of older workers plan on working "traditional" retirement years and that workers 50+ make up for any increases in health care costs with lower turnover and the resulting reduction in recruitment costs, training costs and loss of institutional knowledge.

"Collectively, these studies are groundbreaking and help paint a powerful picture of how integral older workers are going to be in helping Oregon maintain and enhance its economic prosperity," said AARP's Cohen. "AARP believes employers who embrace 50+ workers will have a competitive edge as the local labor pool tightens. We also understand the importance of helping older workers retrain and the very special needs they have including balancing child care and elder care with education and work. AARP stands ready to partner with employers, the state, policy makers and organizations like PCC to find and hone best practices to recruit and retain older workers."

The Gray Matters study, commissioned by PCC and conducted by the University of Indianapolis, reveals that—given the right conditions and incentives—Oregon can count on its aging workforce to meet most of the projected workforce needs within the next decade. It also shows that Oregon's aging population appears to be more active than the average. Oregon can expect an overall increase in older workers of between 35 and 65 percent during the next eight years, compared with a total workforce growth of between 7 and 10 percent.

Read the full 'Perceptions of an Aging Workforce Trend: AARP Oregon Poll of Employers in the State on Age 50+ Employees' report online. To obtain copies of 'Boomers Go to College' and 'Oregon Gray Matters: How Will Older Workers Help Fill Oregon’s Workforce Demand?', call 866-554-5360 toll-free. Or download the reports, in PDF format.

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