New Report Focuses on Aging in America

The face of aging in the United States is changing dramatically and rapidly, according to a new U.S. Census Bureau report, commissioned by the National Institute on Aging (NIA).

Today’s older Americans are very different from their predecessors, living longer, having lower rates of disability, achieving higher levels of education and less often living in poverty.

And the baby boomers, the first of whom celebrated their 60th birthdays in 2006, promise to redefine further what it means to grow older in America.

The report, 65+ in the United States: 2005, was prepared for NIA, a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to provide a picture of the health and socioeconomic status of the aging population at a critical time in the maturing of the United States.

It highlights striking shifts in aging on a population scale and also describes changes at the local and even family level, examining, for example, important changes in family structure as a result of divorce.

For those involved in workforce development, the report provides some helpful data:

People aged 65 and older are less likely to be in the labor force today than in decades past, but many continue to work:

• Labor force participation rates of men aged 65 and older fell dramatically over the past several decades, from 46 percent in 1950 to 19 percent in 2003.  Rates for older women did not change statistically during that time period.

• By 2020, people aged 55 and over are expected to make up 20.3 percent of the labor force, up from 15.1 percent in 2003.

• As employed men and women get older, their likelihood of working part-time increases. In 2003, about half of employed men aged 70 and over and almost two-thirds of employed women aged 70 and over worked part-time.

• Social Security continues to provide the largest share of income for many older Americans.

The data on Michigan shows that:

• the state ranks 8th among states that have more than 1 million people 65 and older;

• 12.3 percent of Michigan's residents are 65 and older.

The complete 254-page report in PDF format can be downloaded from the U.S. Census Bureau web page by CLICKING HERE.

As a service to employers, human resource professionals, and elder care planners, Operation ABLE has extracted chapter 4," which discusses the economic characteristics of the older population in five sections: work and retirement, income, poverty, household wealth, and housing. To download this 36-page chapter, CLICK HERE. .
 

Register Now for March 23 "Ability is Ageless" Job Fair!

The 20th Annual "Ability is Ageless" Job Fair is a unique opportunity for employers to tap into the mature labor pool to meet their needs for dependable workers with a very strong work ethic.

Operation ABLE will host this recruiting opportunity from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel in Southfield located at 16400 J.L. Hudson Drive in Southfield.

Register Online
The registration deadline for companies is March 16.  This year businesses  can register online quickly and easily on ABLE's web site at www.OperationABLE.org/register.htm.  The registration form is attached with this message and can be also downloaded by clicking here  or can be obtained by calling 313-832-0922.  The registration fee for exhibitors (which includes booth space, signage, and a continental breakfast and deli lunch for 2 company representatives) is $225.

Sponsors
The “Ability is Ageless” Job Fair is sponsored by Operation ABLE, the Michigan Department of Community Health Office of Services to the Aging, WWJ Newsradio 950, WWJ 62CBS and WKBD UPN50. 

Need More Information?
Complete information about the job fair and ABLE’s other services for employers and job seekers is also available on the web at www.OperationABLE.org.

Or contact our Corporate Services staff at 1-800-922-HIRE or by e-mail at jobfair@OperationABLE.org
 

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