“Older workers are one of the great, unutilized or underutilized human capital assets that we have in the United States,” says Paul Irving, senior fellow at the Milken Institute, the founding chair of its Center for the Future of Aging, and a member of the WorkingNation Advisory Board.
Ageism is a real threat to older workers and Irving challenges business leaders, hiring managers, and the media to start thinking about older adults in new ways, especially at a time when employers are complaining they can’t find enough workers to fill 8 million open jobs
“We have this great asset that we can take advantage of, and we’re not doing it certainly effectively as we could,. We know that we have a tremendous talent pool in older workers who oftentimes seek to work longer, either because they need to continue to generate revenue, or for the desire for ongoing stimulation and engagement and productivity. And for many people, actually, the answer is both.” says Irving.
He adds that this will require a change of norms, not only in the workplace but in society. “This is a challenge for business leaders, for human resource professionals, for the culture and the media, and for all of us to think about older adults in new ways.”
A reset of these norms, he says, also creates intergenerational workforces that bring benefits to the employers and to the entire U.S. labor market.
“Young people benefit from the mentorship, wisdom, judgment, and experience of older adults and, of course, older adults also benefit from the learning and the stimulus that they get from working with younger people. This is just a natural opportunity. It’s a natural solution. And it’s a great possibility that’s really hiding in plain sight,” stresses Irving.
Paul Irving spoke with me on the subject of age, particularly when it comes to older and midcareer adults in the workforce, as part of the Age in America series, a collaboration between WorkingNation and Scripps News Network which began in June.
Watch a clip from our interview below.
Get more of our WorkingNation Age in America articles, videos, and podcasts here.
Get more of Scripps News’ Age in America coverage here.
