Quick Facts on Older Workers
- In 2003, there were 21.2 million workers age 55 and older, which was
15.4 percent of total employment.
- Women between the ages of 55 and 64 have steadily increased their
labor force participation rates from 42.0 percent in 1985 to 49.2 percent in
1995 and to 56.6 percent in 2003.
- Persons age 55 and over accounted for 15.1 percent of the total
labor force in 2003. The General Accounting Office (GAO) projects that this age
group will account for 19.2 percent of the labor force in 2015.
- In 2000, the average retirement age for men was 62 compared to 65
thirty years ago. The average age for women in 2000 was just under 63 compared
to 65 in 1965.1
- According to the GAO, between 2000 and 2008, the percentage of
teachers older than 55 will increase from 13 percent to 19 percent.2
- According to the same GAO study, people 55 and older in nursing and
health-related fields will increase from 12 to 18 between 2000 and
2008.3
______________________________________ 1The Aging of the American Workforce, U.S. Delegation
Paper, Belmont Conference, November 2000. 2 "Older Workers:
Demographic Trends Pose Challenges for Employers and Workers," General
Accounting Office, Report GAO-02-85, November 2001. 3"Older
Workers: Demographic Trends Pose Challenges for Employers and Workers," General
Accounting Office, Report GAO-02-85, November 2001.
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