Looks at the growing trend of workers over the age of 65 returning or staying in the work force.
This paper examines some of the commonly held misconceptions about people over the age of 65 and their job performance skills. The paper dispels some of the negative myths about the performance ability of older workers and outlines the reasons why employers could benefit from an aging work force.
“Today, many workers who hit retirement age are opting to keep working. Many factors contribute to this fact: economics, changes in retirement age, continuing need for personal achievement, and employers’ need and desire to keep older workers on the job. In today’s economy, many workers simply cannot afford to retire (Hawthorne, 2003). At the same time, the age for eligibility for Social Security retirement benefits will eventually climb from 62 to 67 with a substantial reduction in benefits for early retirees. This means that many older Americans will spend at least two to five years longer in the workforce or have to change their lifestyle. In addition, many older people simply want to keep working. The world faces a future in which a whole generation is healthy, wealthy and bored. Many will choose to keep working or will go back to work.”