Opinion: Braving a New World
By: Elaine Chao Source: AARP Bulletin Date Posted:
Older workers use new skills to work longer
Today, as Americans live longer, healthier lives, more and more of them are choosing to delay retirement or reenter the work force. Their experience and maturity can be invaluable for any workplace, a fact increasingly recognized by employers who are retaining and hiring older workers.
My favorite older worker has always been my father, Dr. James S.C. Chao. He first arrived in America in 1959 to prepare a place for his young wife and their children. During those difficult early years he held down three jobs to provide for his family. Yet, he still made time to check my homework every day when I was a child. My father is now 79 years old and he remains as hard working as ever. Still today, he runs the day-to-day operations of his company.
However, my father is not the exception. Postponed retirement and post-retirement work have opened new horizons for millions of older Americans desiring continued income, new challenges and the social networks of the workplace. In 1996 just 11.6 percent of Americans over age 65 worked. By June of this year, that figure had risen to 15.5 percent. And the rise in workers over 55 is also notable: from 29.3 percent to 37.2 percent in the same period.
Job prospects are even brighter. By August the economy had created 8.3 million more jobs in the past four years. By 2014 our country will need 900,000 engineers and 3.5 million new teachers, trainers and researchers. In particular, as America's population matures, the U.S. health care industry will need 3.4 million more professionals, including physicians, therapists, pharmacists and more than 1.2 million registered nurses. We will also require more than 1.7 million other health care workers, including physical therapists, dental assistants and medical transcriptionists. And in many cases older workers are well suited to fill these and other job vacancies.
But there are challenges. As technology changes and the United States becomes part of an increasingly global economy, we are faced with a shortage of workers with the education and training needed to fill many of these jobs. The Department of Labor has both implemented the 1998 Workplace Investment Act and launched initiatives to help workers of all ages get the education and training necessary to compete in the 21st-century economy: the High-Growth Job Training Initiative, Community-Based Job Training Grants and the Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development Initiative. The Department of Labor's Senior Community Service Employment Program has also been effective. The AARP Foundation is one of 74 grantees sharing $433 million to implement the program.
The Bush administration is working to streamline the work force investment system to help job seekers, employers and communities. Specifically, we want to improve workers' access to education and training and enhance the ability of the One-Stop Career Center system to provide a full range of assistance to job seekers under one roof. Find a One-Stop Career Center near you at 1-877-872-5627 toll-free or online at www.doleta.gov/usworkforce/onestop.
Older workers bring a wealth of knowledge, experience and reliability to the workplace that will help ensure America's vibrant and competitive tradition in the 21st-century economy.
Elaine Chao is the secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor.
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