Older Workers, Advantages of

Statistic # 370

The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) reports that 43 percent of its members think that the loss of talent associated with the retirement of baby boomers is a 'potential problem.' (p.8)

Society for Human Resource Management. (2005, June). 2005 Future of the U.S. labor pool. Survey report. Alexandria, VA: Collison, J.

“In February 2005, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) conducted a survey on the labor pool with HR professionals. The survey explored workforce eligibility for retirement, competencies, school-to-work programs, incumbent worker training programs and dislocated worker training programs.  At the same time, SHRM conducted a companion survey with individuals 55 or older regarding retirement. The following report provides an analysis of the survey results. Throughout this report, analyses by organization staff size, sector, profit status, industry, gender, current employment status and position are included, when applicable. Copies of both versions of the survey instrument are included at the end of the report.”

Older Workers, Advantages of

Statistic # 1859

In a 2007 survey of employees, 90% of Mature workers rated being "Ethical" as "extremely or very important" to workplace culture. In comparison, 84% of Baby Boomers, 83% of Generation X workers, and 66% of Generation Y workers agreed. (Appendix Graph 25, p. 31)

Generations are defined as: Generation Y = adults whose birth year falls between 1980 and 1988; Generation X = 1965 and 1979; Baby Boomer = 1946 and 1964; Mature = 1900 and 1945.

Ranstad Work Solutions. (2007). The world of work 2007. Rochester, NY: Harris Interactive, Inc. Retrieved January 24, 2008 from http://www.us.randstad.com/the%20world%20of%20work%202007.pdf

The findings in this report are based on 3,139 interviews conducted online by Harris Interactive in 2007. Among these are 1,251 employers and 1,888 employees in the United States. The sample for employees consisted of U.S. residents who are 18 years of age or older who are currently employed fulltime or self-employed in a company with at least five employees. For employers, the sample consisted of U.S. business professionals who are 18 years of age or older and who make strategic Human Resources decisions or strongly influence those decisions and have been doing so for at least six months...and who were employed in an organization with at least five employees.

Older Workers, Advantages of

Statistic # 1860

In a 2007 survey of employees, 74% of Mature workers and 70% of Baby Boomers rated being "Professional" as "extremely or very important" to workplace culture. In comparison, 63% of Generation X workers and 48% of Generation Y workers agreed. (Appendix Graph 25, p. 31)

Generations are defined as: Generation Y = adults whose birth year falls between 1980 and 1988; Generation X = 1965 and 1979; Baby Boomer = 1946 and 1964; Mature = 1900 and 1945.

Ranstad Work Solutions. (2007). The world of work 2007. Rochester, NY: Harris Interactive, Inc. Retrieved January 24, 2008 from http://www.us.randstad.com/the%20world%20of%20work%202007.pdf

The findings in this report are based on 3,139 interviews conducted online by Harris Interactive in 2007. Among these are 1,251 employers and 1,888 employees in the United States. The sample for employees consisted of U.S. residents who are 18 years of age or older who are currently employed fulltime or self-employed in a company with at least five employees. For employers, the sample consisted of U.S. business professionals who are 18 years of age or older and who make strategic Human Resources decisions or strongly influence those decisions and have been doing so for at least six months...and who were employed in an organization with at least five employees.

Older Workers, Advantages of

Statistic # 1899

According to analysis of 2002 Health and Retirement Survey data, "most older workers face intense non-physical demands on the job. About 55 percent reported in 2002 that their jobs always require intense concentration; 72 percent reported that their jobs always require skill in dealing with other people; 41 percent reported that they always work with computers; and 67 percent reported that their jobs always require good eyesight." (p. 52)

Johnson, R. W. (2004). Trends in job demands among older workers, 1992-2002. Monthly Labor Review, 127(7), 48-56.

This study measures recent trends in job demands at older ages by comparing self-reported job characteristics among older workers in 1992 and 2002. The data come from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative survey of older Americans conducted by the University of Michigan for the National Istitute on Aging. This study uses the HRS to compute the share of workers ages 55 to 60 in 1992 and 2002 who report particular job demands.

Older Workers, Advantages of

Statistic # 1904

According to a 2007 AARP report, 34.4% of workers ages 62 and older had had a job that demanded "high cognitive ability," compared with 40.5% of workers ages 50-61, 37.6% of workers ages 26-49, and 18.8% of workers 25 and younger (Table 3, p. 21)

Johnson, R. W., Mermin, G., & Resseger, M. (2007). Employment at older ages and the changing nature of work. Washington D.C.: AARP. Retrieved February 18, 2008 from http://www.aarp.org/research/work/employment/2007_20_work.html

This paper examines employment trends and the challenges older adults face in the workplace.The study used detailed occupational characteristics from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) to examine job demands. It linked this information to individual workers in the March 1971 and March 2006 Current Population Surveys.

Older Workers, Advantages of

Statistic # 2028

A 2007 McKinsey survey found that the Boomer generation "not only is the best-educated, most highly skilled aging workforce in US history but also accounts for a disproportionate share of US 'knowledge workers'--51 percent of all managers and 45 percent of all professional people, such as doctors and lawyers--while representing just 41 percent of the workforce."

Court, D., Farrell, D., & Forsyth, J. E. (2007). Serving aging baby boomers. McKinsey Quarterly, (4), 102-113.


McKinsey researchers surveyed 5,100 older boomers and younger members of the silent generation and conducted 32 in-home interviews that involved observing the environments of the interviewees and listening to their verbal narratives.

Older Workers, Advantages of

Statistic # 2066

In a 2006 survey of employers, 87 percent of the respondents indicated that they perceive the retention of aging workforce to preserve knowledge to be a very significant business advantage, and 74 percent of respondents report that aging workers are perceived to be reliable and dedicated, from a business advantage perspective. (p. 2)

Corporate Voices for Working Families, WorldatWork, & Buck Consultants. (2006). The real talent debate: Will aging boomers deplete the workforce?. Washington, DC: Corporate Voices for Working Families. Retrieved from http://www.cvworkingfamilies.org/downloads/TalentDebate.pdf?CFID=22487671&CFTOKEN=60403015

In October, 2006, an Internet-based survey was used to evaluate the impact of an aging workforce on the American marketplace. Four hundred eighty-seven organizations contributed to the survey database. Approximately 64 percent of the responses came from companies having 1,000 employees or more, with 20 percent of the companies surveyed reporting at least 20,000 employees. The primary objective of this survey was to assess the overall degree to which respondents considered the pending retirement of "baby boomer" employees, and reduced employee availability in succeeding generations, to be a significant issue.

Older Workers, Advantages of

Statistic # 2129

Information from the 2007 National Study of Business Strategy and Workforce Development indicates that 44.4% of employers report that it is "very true" that their older adult/late career employees have stronger customer and client networks, compared to 29.6% of mid-career and 15.8% of early career employees. For professional networks, 46.3% of employers stated that it was very true that older employees have strong professional networks, compared to 29.4% and 16.5% for mid- and early-career employees, respectively. (fig. 5, p. 4)




Shen, C., Pitt-Catsouphes, M., & Smyer, M. A. (2007). Today's multi-generational workforce: A proposition of value (Issue Brief No. 10). Chestnut Hill, MA: Boston College Center on Aging & Work/Workplace Flexibility. Retrieved from http://agingandwork.bc.edu/documents/IB10_MultiGenValue.pdf

This Issue Brief uses a lens of “human capital costs and benefits” to examine the work experiences of young employees (aged 18-30 years), employees at mid-life (31-49 years), and older employees (50 years and older). Many of the findings discussed in this Issue Brief are the result of new analyses completed using information gathered from the wage and salaried workers (N = 2,785) who responded to the 2002 National Study of the Changing Workforce (NSCW). 25% of the respondents who provided their ages were between the ages of 18-30, 48% were between the ages of 31-49, and 27% were 50 years or older. The National Study of the Changing Workforce (NSCW) is conducted every five years. It surveys large samples of the U.S. workforce to collect information about both the work and personal lives of U.S. workers. (p. 1)

Older Workers, Advantages of

Statistic # 2262

Analysis of January, 2008 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the median number of years of tenure with current employer for workers aged 65 and over was 10.2. For ages 55-64, the figure was 9.9, and for 45-54 year olds, it was 7.6. (table 1)

Helman, R., Copeland, C., VanDerhei, J., & Salisbury, D. (2008). EBRI 2008 recent retirees survey: Report of findings (Issue Brief No. 319). Washington, DC: Employee Benefit Research Institute. Retrieved from http://www.ebri.org/pdf/briefspdf/EBRI_IB_07-2008.pdf

The data in this release were collected through a supplement to the January 2008 Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS, which is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), is a monthly survey of about 60,000 households that provides information on the labor force status, demographics, and other characteristics of the nation's civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and over.

Older Workers, Advantages of

Statistic # 1857

In a 2007 survey of employees, 56% of Mature workers and 54% of Baby Boomers perceived "Management Skills" to be an element of success in the workplace. In comparison, 45% of Generation X and 28% of Generation Y workers perceived Management Skills to be important for workplace success. (Fig. 12, p. 17)

Generations are defined as: Generation Y = adults whose birth year falls between 1980 and 1988; Generation X = 1965 and 1979; Baby Boomer = 1946 and 1964; Mature = 1900 and 1945.

Ranstad Work Solutions. (2007). The world of work 2007. Rochester, NY: Harris Interactive, Inc. Retrieved January 24, 2008 from http://www.us.randstad.com/the%20world%20of%20work%202007.pdf

The findings in this report are based on 3,139 interviews conducted online by Harris Interactive in 2007. Among these are 1,251 employers and 1,888 employees in the United States. The sample for employees consisted of U.S. residents who are 18 years of age or older who are currently employed fulltime or self-employed in a company with at least five employees. For employers, the sample consisted of U.S. business professionals who are 18 years of age or older and who make strategic Human Resources decisions or strongly influence those decisions and have been doing so for at least six months...and who were employed in an organization with at least five employees.

Older Workers, Advantages of

Statistic # 1625

In a 2007 survey of human resource professionals at over 500 organizations, 22.4 percent said it was very true that early-career employees were loyal to the company, compared to 53.8 percent who said late-career employees were loyal to the company. (p.8)

Pitt-Catsouphes, M., Smyer, M. A., Matz-Costa, C., & Kane, K. (2007). The national study report: Phase II of the national study of business strategy and workforce development (Research Highlight No. 04). Chestnut Hill, MA: The Center on Aging & Work/Workplace Flexibility. Retrieved August 22, 2007 from http://agingandwork.bc.edu/documents/RH04_NationalStudy_03-07_004.pdf



The National Study of Business Strategy and Workforce Development is a 2007 study carried out by The Center on Aging & Work / Workplace Flexibility at Boston College. Data on employer response to the aging workforce was gathered for a sample of 578 non-governmental organizations with 50 or more employees.

Older Workers, Advantages of

Statistic # 1604

In the 2007 National Study of Business Strategy and Workforce Development, 26.5% of employers responded that it is "true/very true" that early-career employees have a high rate of absenteeism due to illness, compared to 16.9% for mid- and 20.7% for late-career employees. (p. 20)

Pitt-Catsouphes, M., Smyer, M. A., Matz-Costa, C., & Kane, K. (2007). The national study report: Phase II of the national study of business strategy and workforce development (Research Highlight No. 04). Chestnut Hill, MA: The Center on Aging & Work/Workplace Flexibility. Retrieved August 22, 2007 from http://agingandwork.bc.edu/documents/RH04_NationalStudy_03-07_004.pdf



The National Study of Business Strategy and Workforce Development is a 2007 study carried out by The Center on Aging & Work/Workplace Flexibility at Boston College. Human resource professionals at 578 non-governmental organizations with 50 or more employees completed a survey about their organization's response to the aging workforce. At these organizations, approximately three-fourths of the employees were full-time, almost half were women and one-third were members of a racial/ethnic minority group.

Older Workers, Advantages of

Statistic # 372

Seventy-two percent of the HR respondents to the Older Workers Survey indicated that one advantage to hiring older workers was their willingness to work different schedules. (Chart 2, p.2)




Society for Human Resource Management. (2003, June). Older workers survey. Alexandria, VA: Collison, J.



“Invitations went out to 2,500 SHRM members with 357 invitations returned. The survey received a 20% response rate, with 428 HR professionals completing it. The following report analyzes the results of the survey. It contains numerous tables and charts that capture the participants’ responses and includes a copy of the survey questionnaire at the end. The results are first analyzed by overall responses and then by industry, size, and sector.”

Older Workers, Advantages of

Statistic # 757

“…women, 50 or more years old, are as likely as older male employees to hold managerial or professional positions (36 percent of men and 37 percent of women).” (p.5)

Bond, T. J., Galinsky, M. E., Pitt-Catsouphes, M., & Smyer, M. A. (2005). The diverse employment experiences of older men and women in the workforce. (Research Highlight 02). Chestnut Hill, MA: Center on Aging & Work/Workplace Flexibility. Retrieved October 25, 2007 from http://agingandwork.bc.edu/documents/RH02_DiverseEmployExper.pdf




“This report is the second in a series of Research Highlights published by the Center on Aging & Work/Workplace Flexibility in collaboration with the Families and Work Institute. These Research Highlights present the findings of in-depth analyses of the Families and Work Institute’s 2002 National Study of the Changing Workforce (NSCW). This report compares and contrasts the experiences of men and women, 50 and older, in the U.S. workforce. Gender is an important lens for examining the employment experiences of older workers, in part because the work and family histories of men and women tend to vary across the course of their lives…The National Study of the Changing Workforce (NSCW) is conducted every five years. It surveys large samples of the U.S. workforce to collect information about both the work and personal lives of U.S. workers.”

Older Workers, Advantages of

Statistic # 760

“Among older employees, men are more likely (33 percent) than women (28 percent) to report having high job autonomy. Older women are more likely than men to report that they have a high level of involvement in management decision-making (36 percent vs. 30 percent) and high trust in what managers say (41 percent vs. 34 percent).” (Table 6, p. 10)

Bond, T. J., Galinsky, M. E., Pitt-Catsouphes, M., & Smyer, M. A. (2005). The diverse employment experiences of older men and women in the workforce. (Research Highlight 02). Chestnut Hill, MA: Center on Aging & Work/Workplace Flexibility. Retrieved October 25, 2007 from http://agingandwork.bc.edu/documents/RH02_DiverseEmployExper.pdf

“This report is the second in a series of Research Highlights published by the Center on Aging & Work/Workplace Flexibility in collaboration with the Families and Work Institute. These Research Highlights present the findings of in-depth analyses of the Families and Work Institute’s 2002 National Study of the Changing Workforce (NSCW). This report compares and contrasts the experiences of men and women, 50 and older, in the U.S. workforce. Gender is an important lens for examining the employment experiences of older workers, in part because the work and family histories of men and women tend to vary across the course of their lives…The National Study of the Changing Workforce (NSCW) is conducted every five years. It surveys large samples of the U.S. workforce to collect information about both the work and personal lives of U.S. workers.”

Older Workers, Advantages of

Statistic # 1538

Despite the fact that over half of the Benchmark organizations reported that knowledge transfer is a challenge, 41% had either not developed processes to transfer institutional memory/knowledge at all or had only developed these processes "to a limited extent." (p. 8, fig. 6)




Pitt-Catsouphes, M., Kane, K., Smyer, M. A., & Shen, C. (2006). The benchmark study: Summary report (Research Highlight No. 03). Chestnut Hill, MA: Center on Aging & Work/Workplace Flexibility. Retrieved October 25, 2007 from http://agingandwork.bc.edu/documents/RH03_BenchmarkStudy_12-06_002.pdf

The Benchmark Study" is the first phase in "The National Study of Business Strategy and Workforce Development (NSBSWD)" conducted by the Boston College Center on Aging and Work/Workplace Flexibility. "The Benchmark Study" invited two groups of employers to participate in the study: those who had been recognized as "early adaptors" to the changing age demographics of the workforce, and those who had identified the aging of the workforce as a priority issue for their organizations. Phase II of the NSBSWD then invited approximately 500 U.S. businesses with 50 or more employees to participate in "The National Study." (See Research Highlights No. 4 for results from phase II).

Older Workers, Advantages of

Statistic # 1580

According to data from the 2007 National Study of Business Strategy and Workforce Development, employers respond that is it "very true" that their older adult/late career employees have stronger professional networks (46.3%) and client networks (44.4%).  Fewer than 30% of employers feel that it is very true that their younger (early and mid-career) counterparts have such networks .




Shen, C., Pitt-Catsouphes, M., & Smyer, M. A. (2007). Today's multi-generational workforce: A proposition of value (Issue Brief No. 10). Chestnut Hill, MA: Boston College Center on Aging & Work/Workplace Flexibility. Retrieved November 1, 2007 from http://agingandwork.bc.edu/documents/IB10_MultiGenValue.pdf



"This Issue Brief uses a lens of “human capital costs and benefits” to examine the work experiences of young employees (aged 18-30 years), employees at mid-life (31-49 years), and older employees (50 years and older)." (p. 1)

Older Workers, Advantages of

Statistic # 1585

In a 2007 study, over 50% of employers felt it was "very true" that their late-career employees were loyal, reliable, possessed a strong work ethic, and had a low turnover rate. (p. 8).




Pitt-Catsouphes, M., Smyer, M. A., Matz-Costa, C., & Kane, K. (2007). The national study report: Phase II of the national study of business strategy and workforce development (Research Highlight No. 04). Chestnut Hill, MA: The Center on Aging & Work/Workplace Flexibility. Retrieved August 22, 2007 from http://agingandwork.bc.edu/documents/RH04_NationalStudy_03-07_004.pdf



The National Study of Business Strategy and Workforce Development is a 2007 study carried out by The Center on Aging & Work/Workplace Flexibility at Boston College. Human resource professionals at 578 non-governmental organizations with 50 or more employees completed a survey about their organization's response to the aging workforce. At these organizations, approximately three-fourths of the employees were full-time, almost half were women and one-third were members of a racial/ethnic minority group.

Older Workers, Advantages of

Statistic # 1586

Employers in a 2007 study indicated that it was "very true" that late-career employees tend to have positive attributes such as high skill levels (46.7%), professional networks (46.3%), client networks (44.4%), and the desire to lead and/or supervise (36.0%). (p. 9)




Pitt-Catsouphes, M., Smyer, M. A., Matz-Costa, C., & Kane, K. (2007). The national study report: Phase II of the national study of business strategy and workforce development (Research Highlight No. 04). Chestnut Hill, MA: The Center on Aging & Work/Workplace Flexibility. Retrieved August 22, 2007 from http://agingandwork.bc.edu/documents/RH04_NationalStudy_03-07_004.pdf



The National Study of Business Strategy and Workforce Development is a 2007 study carried out by The Center on Aging & Work/Workplace Flexibility at Boston College. Human resource professionals at 578 non-governmental organizations with 50 or more employees completed a survey about their organization's response to the aging workforce. At these organizations, approximately three-fourths of the employees were full-time, almost half were women and one-third were members of a racial/ethnic minority group.

Older Workers, Advantages of

Statistic # 1603

In the 2007 National Study of Business Strategy and Workforce Development, employers responded that it is less likely that late-career employees would look outside the company for new career opportunities.  52.3% of the respondents indicated that it was "true/very true" that early-career employees are likely to look outside of the company for new career opportunities, compared to 35.4% and 19.8% for mid-career and late-career employees, respectively. 



Pitt-Catsouphes, M., Smyer, M. A., Matz-Costa, C., & Kane, K. (2007). The national study report: Phase II of the national study of business strategy and workforce development (Research Highlight No. 04). Chestnut Hill, MA: The Center on Aging & Work/Workplace Flexibility. Retrieved August 22, 2007 from http://agingandwork.bc.edu/documents/RH04_NationalStudy_03-07_004.pdf



The National Study of Business Strategy and Workforce Development is a 2007 study carried out by The Center on Aging & Work/Workplace Flexibility at Boston College. Human resource professionals at 578 non-governmental organizations with 50 or more employees completed a survey about their organization's response to the aging workforce. At these organizations, approximately three-fourths of the employees were full-time, almost half were women and one-third were members of a racial/ethnic minority group.

Older Workers, Advantages of

Statistic # 2263

Analysis of January, 2008 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that 56.3% of workers aged 65 and over had 10 years of more of tenure with their current employer, compared to 52.4% for ages 60-64, 54.9% for ages 55-59, 50.4% for ages 50-54, and 43.5 % for ages 45-49. (Table 2)

Helman, R., Copeland, C., VanDerhei, J., & Salisbury, D. (2008). EBRI 2008 recent retirees survey: Report of findings (Issue Brief No. 319). Washington, DC: Employee Benefit Research Institute. Retrieved from http://www.ebri.org/pdf/briefspdf/EBRI_IB_07-2008.pdf

The data in this release were collected through a supplement to the January 2008 Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS, which is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), is a monthly survey of about 60,000 households that provides information on the labor force status, demographics, and other characteristics of the nation's civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and over.