Survey: Employer Attitudes towards Older Workers

Older workers have reasonably good prospects for extending their working careers according to a new survey of employers by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. Employer Attitudes towards Older Workers: Survey Results, Issues in Brief No. 3, authored by Alicia H. Munnell (the Center's director), Steven A. Sass, and Mauricio Soto, reports that 80% of employers said older workers were “as attractive” or “more attractive” than younger employees.

While Munnell said “the survey results are encouraging given that many people nearing traditional retirement ages will need to work longer to ensure their retirement income security,” the survey results also raise two important cautions. First, older rank-and-file workers, who face the greatest retirement income challenge, appear to have weaker employment prospects than older white-collar workers. Second, other surveys have shown that positive evaluations of the productiv¬ity of older workers do not necessarily translate into actual employment opportunities.

Source: Center for Retirement Research at Boston College Press Release (July 11, 2006)