SILVER SPRING, Md., Sept. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Workers 55 and older will make up almost a quarter of the U.S. labor force as older employees are filling an increasingly important position in our economy. More and more workers are remaining employed beyond the traditional age of retirement, for economic reasons and because they enjoy their jobs.
The financial needs may be personal but the economic benefit from older workers boosts the national economy due to these workers continuing to pay taxes and having the finances to cover expenses longer. And older workers represent a great opportunity to employers. One example of an area where older workers are making a difference is with lifeguard positions. As fewer younger people apply for these essential positions, older workers have stepped in to fill the gap. They are able to perform in these and other important roles proving of benefit to employers.
The theme for this year’s National Employ Older Workers Week is ‘Our Knowledge, Our Skills, Our Abilities’. As the second largest national grantee of the Department of Labor’s Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), Senior Service America (SSAI) helps eliminate the largest barrier to employment for older Americans: lack of training and experience, particularly in STEM areas. SSAI works through local partners delivering SCSEP’s career training programs for 55-plus-year-old workers in 15 states.
Through its partnerships, SSAI has helped SCSEP get over 700,000 older Americans into the workforce, whether for the first time or to go back to work post-retirement.
“SSAI has worked with employers to help them tap into a talent pool of trained and experienced older workers,” says Gary A. Officer, President and CEO of SSAI. “We work with companies that realize this is not good will. It is good business.”
For more information on about SSAI visit the website at centerforworkforceinclusion.org.
Media Contact: SSAI.Press@ssa-i.org
About Senior Service America, Inc. Senior Service America, Inc. (SSAI) is committed to making it possible for low-income and other disadvantaged older adults to participate fully in determining their own future and the future of their communities. For 50 years, the organization has operated the federal Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) through a network of local subgrantee organizations. For more information, please visit centerforworkforceinclusion.org.