PBS News Hour: Special Report on New Adventures for Older Workers

PBS News Hour has spent a year looking at the factors—demography, economics and just plain personal preference—that help explain what's happening to the American workforce as it ages. In a special project, "Special Report on New Adventures for Older Workers," led by David Pelcyger and Elizabeth Shell, PBS has provided a series of stories listed under Sources below, and an interactive web pages on a snapshot on what getting older is likely to cost one, working for the nest egg, working in retirement, and moving forward.

Sources: PBS News Hour "Without Money to Retire, Paramedic Must Stay Healthy to Keep Working" (June 14, 2013); "Heading Back to Work After Retiring" (June 13, 2013); "America's New Old Workforce: When Your Body Tells You It's Time to Retire" (June 10, 2013); "Will You Work Forever" (June 7, 2013)

Oregon: Aging Workforce Major Factor in Declining Labor Participation Rates

According to a report from the Oregon Employment Department's Workforce and Economic Research Division, the state's share of the population 16 years old and over that is employed or unemployed has fallen to the lowest level since the late 1970s. "Oregon’s Falling Labor Force Participation: A Story of Baby Boomers, Youth, and the Great Recession" explores the three major reasons for falling participation: the aging workforce, younger workers declining population, and the results of the Great Recession.

The report finds that Oregon’s labor force participation rate is at its lowest level since records began in 1976. Specifically, the state’s labor force participation rate peaked at 68.9% in 1998 and declined to 63.4% in 2012. Fully half of this decline can be attributed to the aging population--the movement of Oregon’s population into older age groups accounts for 3.2 percentage points of the overall drop. "In other words, the aging of the population into age groups with lower participation rates brings the overall rate down, even as participation rates in the older groups are on the rise."

With regards to the rise in participation rates of older workers, the report states:

Falling participation rates is not the story for every age group. Labor force participation has been on the rise for people aged 55 to 64 since 1986 (Graph 3). A number of factors are driving this trend. One factor has been improvements in health that allow workers to continue in the labor force longer than workers of past generations. A second factor has been the shift towards a service economy and away from a manufacturing economy. The shift resulted in less labor intensive “blue collar” jobs and more “white collar” jobs that are less physically demanding. A third factor is that workers have to work longer to build savings for retirement due to the move away from defined-benefit pensions and towards 401K plans. Dramatic financial market swings in recent years provide an additional challenge to older workers trying to determine if they have built up sufficient savings to retire.

Among other things, the report also poses the question whether it is time to change thinking that ages 25 to 54 are "prime working age." The report also states that while "Regions and industries with a large proportion of older workers may face a relative shortage of workers as more baby boomers reach retirement age," "there are enough younger people and their participation rates are far enough below historic averages that there should be enough replacement workers if they are given appropriate training and offered sufficient job opportunities."

Source: Oregon Employment Department Reports & Analysis (June 12, 2013)

Research: Older Workers are Not Bringing Down Average Wages, Help Workforce Producitivity

According to research from The Brookings Institution, an aging workforce had not dragged down average worker productivity over the past quarter century in the United States. Instead, Gary Burtless, Senior Fellow, Economic Studies, reports in "The Impact of Population Aging and Delayed Retirement on Workforce Productivity," that improved education among the population past 60 and delays in retirement among better educated Americans have tended to boost the earnings of older workers compared with younger ones.

Using one standard benchmark of individual worker productivity—hourly wages—workers between 60 and 74 now earn more than an average worker who is between 25 and 59. The hourly pay premium for older men was about 22 percent in 2011. For older women it was about 10 percent. Other earnings benchmarks show a somewhat less favorable picture, but all of them show considerable improvement in the relative position of aged workers compared with the nonaged over the past two decades. None of the indicators of male productivity suggest that older male workers are less productive than average male workers who are between 25 and 59.

Burtless points to two factors for the surge in older workers’ earnings: (1) the sheer size of the baby boom generation means that the number of Americans attaining age 60 each year is climbing steeply; and (2) labor force participation rates of adults between 60 and 74 have increased.

Burtless also notes that a major reason for the surge in income is that older workers are now better educated compared with prime-age workers than was the case in the past. "Twenty-five years ago the gap in education between prime-age workers and older Americans was large. Americans past 60 had much less schooling than workers who were younger. That gap is now much narrower."

Source: The Brookings Institution UpFront Blog Post (June 10, 2013)

Australia: Commission Report Calls for Addressing Barriers to Labor Force Participation by Mature Age People

The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) released the final report for its inquiry into legal barriers to older persons participating in the workforce and other productive work. In "Access All Ages—Older Workers and Commonwealth Laws," ALRC makes 36 recommendations that address the areas of recruitment and employment, work, health and safety, workers’ compensation, insurance, social security, and superannuation, with the keystone recommendation being for a National Mature Age Workforce Participation Plan to provide a coordinated policy response to address barriers to participation by mature age people in the Australian labor market.

The ALRC considers that the Report’s recommendations, taken together, will provide:

• a coordinated policy response to enabling mature age workforce participation;
• consistency across Commonwealth laws and between Commonwealth and state and territory laws to support mature age workforce participation;
• a reduction in age discrimination;
  a greater awareness of mature age workers’ rights and entitlements;
• support for maintaining attachment to the workforce for mature age people; and
• work environments, practices and processes that are appropriate for mature age workers.

In its response, National Seniors welcomes the report and many of its recommendations, but believes that the report does not got far enough. National Seniors argues that all age restrictions for workers compensation and superannuation should be repealed. Sources: Australian Law Reform Commission Media Release (May 30, 2013); National Seniors Media Release (May 30, 2013)

Australia: Research Finds Organizations Failing To Harness Skills and Talents of Older Women in Workforce

Diversity Council Australia, in partnership with the Australian Human Rights Commission and with Sageco, has released research results about how underutilized older women—those 45 and older—really are and what employers can do to better harness their skills and talents for the benefit of business and the wider economy. According to "Older Women Matter: Harnessing the Talents of Australia’s Older Female Workforce," Australia’s older female workforce represent a sizeable and growing segment of the labor force but that Australian organizations are failing to harness their skills and talents. Furthermore, Australia’s performance in this area lags substantially behind comparable countries, such as New Zealand.

Among other things, the research finds that:

• older women constitute 17% of Australia’s workforce with 45% of women aged 45 and over now in the labor force compared to 24% in 1978;
• older women’s participation in the labor market is substantially lower than men’s in all age groups—as much as 17 points lower for women aged 55-64;
• the most recent comparable data shows participation rates for Australian women aged 55-64 of 54.9% compared to 72% in Sweden, 69.8% in New Zealand, 59.5% in the US and 57.4% in Canada; and
• employers can reap significant benefits if they review their attraction, retention, transition and flexible working strategies with older women in mind.

Source: Diversity Council Australia Media Alert (May 23, 2013)

Norway: Labor Participation Rates Increasing for 62- ad 63-Year-Olds after Pension Reform

A report issued by Statistics Norway finds that 62- and 63-year-olds work longer than before, although pension reform allows them to retire at age 62. "Yrkesaktivitet blant eldre før og etter pensjonsreformen" ("Labour force participation among older persons after the Norwegian pension reform") looked at two indicators: One indicator is the change in share of the population who are employees. The second indicator is the share of the employees in a given year who are still employees one year after. This second indicator shows the share of the employees who keeps on working, which was one of the main goals of the pension reform. With respect to the first indicator, the report found:

For several years, even before pension reform was implemented in 2011, the share of the population who are employees has had a certain growth for all one-year age groups from 60 year and above. But the change from 2011 to 2012 shows that all one-year age groups from age 62 and above have had a stronger growth in the participation rate, than persons aged 60 and 61. The growth has been particularly strong for those aged 62 and 63, and this applies for both women and men. Further, the growth has been particularly strong for those with secondary education as their highest level of education.

With respect to the second indicator, the report found:

the share of the employees in one year who are still employees one year after, we present figures for those who go from being 61 to 62 years of age. The results show that there was a stronger growth in the share of the employees who are still employees one year after, from 2011 to 2012 than in the previous three years. The growth was clearly stronger for persons with primary school and secondary school than for people with a higher level of education. Still, the persons with higher education have a higher level number of employees who kept on working.

Source: Statistics Norway Publication Summary (English) (April 4, 2013); SeniorPolitikk.no "Seniorene jobber lenger enn før" (April 8, 2013)

Study: Working in Mixed-Aged Groups More Likely To Prolong Working Life of Older Workers

The Centre for European Economic Research in Mannheim (ZEW) has released research results that find that of the various measures more and more companies rely on in order to retain older employees—appropriately equipped workplaces, reduced working hours and performance requirements, mixed-age work teams, general training, specific training as well as part-time work for older employees—people nearing retirement age are more likely to continue working if they feel valued and if they work with younger people. Part-time work, on the contrary, is apparently even reducing the employment period of older staff, and all the other measures looked at have no influence at all on older employees' decisions to stay with their company.

In "Specific Measures for Older Employees and Late Career Employment" (ZEW Discussion Paper No. 12-059), authored by Bernhard Boockmann, Jan Fries and Christian Göbel, the ZEW staff used longitudinal data provided by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) on older employees aged between 40 and 65 from 2002, observing 1,063 West German companies with at least five older employees are being observed. Approximately, 50% of the companies offered at least one measure for older employees: 36% offered part-time work for older employees (allowing them contract extensions on reduced working hours), 18% offered mixed-age work teams where older employees could contribute their experience and younger employees their recent professional knowledge, 17% general training, 5% reduced performance requirements, 4% appropriately equipped workplaces (considering e.g. reduced vision or hearing impairment), and 3% tailor-made training for older employees.

Source: Centre for European Economic Research in Mannheim Press Release (March 13, 2013)

Productive Aging Programs Help Employees Manage Age at the Workplace

In a post by U.S. News & World Report blogger Philip Moeller, Kristin Tugman--senior director of health and productivity at Unum--outlined the five components of a productive aging program. According to Tugman, beyond mentoring, prospective labor-force shortages mean many employers simply cannot afford to let older workers retire or walk out the door. In particular, in manufacturing and physically challenging occupations such as nursing, employers "are recognizing the creep up in terms of their employees' average age" and the "clear impact of continuing repetitive, hard labor."

Productive aging programs include:

1. a rigorous demographic analysis of an employer's aging workforce today and projected into the future;
2. employee wellness programs with specific older-employee components;
3. chronic condition management, perhaps with special emphasis on obesity;
4. flexible work environment; and
5. job enrichment programs, which value older workers and seek to leverage their motivation with respect to their return to work and their staying at work.

Source: U.S. News & World Report "Employers Slowly Enrich Programs for Older Workers" (March18, 2013)

Survey: Youngest and Oldest Workers Share Most Common Attitudes

A survey conducted by Randstad suggest that the age groups that share the most workplace sentiments in common are the youngest and oldest generations; these employees expressed a more positive outlook on their careers than other demographics surveyed. According to Randstad's Engagement Study, 89% of mature workers and 75% of millennials say they enjoy going to work every day, and 69% of millennials and 64% of mature workers finding a positive energy at work. In contrast, only 53% of other generational groups find such positive energy.

Randstad does point out that there are, however, areas of serious difference among those generations. For example, while 57% of millennial respondents would give serious consideration to a job offer from another company, and 47% would proactively seek out a position with a different employer, only 20% of mature workers would consider making a career move this year, and 12% would look for a new job.

"As the average age of retirement continues to increase, employers are not only seeing a wider generational gap amongst their employees, but they are also seeing more generations sitting side-by-side in the workplace than ever before," said Jim Link, managing director for Randstad US. "It is critical for companies to take note of the distinct characteristics, motivations and perspectives each cohort possesses, as well as the overlaps in attitude and workplace desires. In looking at our study findings, companies can dive into what engagement and retention drivers are aligned and not aligned across the different generations to identify and prioritize the largest opportunities to improve employee engagement within their organizations."

Source: Randstad Press Release (March 13, 2013)

United Kingdom: Lords Report Says Government Unprepared for Aging Population

A report issued by the United Kingdom's House of Lords Committee on Public Service and Demographic Change warned that the government is woefully underprepared for aging, including the need for older people to support themselves through later life, since, for many people, there is a risk that a longer life could worsen the existing problem of insufficient savings and pensions. In "Ready for Ageing?," the report addresses "later working" (one of a wide range of aging issues) and recommends:

1. The Government and employers need to work to end 'cliff-edge' retirement, by enabling more people to work part-time and to wind down work and take up pensions flexibly. It should be beneficial to defer taking state and private pensions. Employers need to be much more positive about employing older people. The Government should publicly reject the 'lump of labour fallacy' that wrongly argues this will disadvantage the young.
2. The Committee urges the Government, pensions industry and employers to tackle the lack of certainty in defined contribution pensions and address their serious defects to make it clearer what people can expect to get from their pension as a result of the savings they make.

In reaching these recommendations, the report notes that "working for longer would increase income from work, potentially increase savings, and reduce the time of dependence on those savings. Working for longer can often improve health and brings social and intellectual benefits." However, it understands that "making working for longer possible will require changes to attitudes, as well as policy and practice." To that end, the report includes an appendix focused on working longer, which further suggests, among other things:

• employers need to be much more positive about employing older people. Employers and employees should adopt a more flexible conception of how and when people move on from paid work as they get older, to their mutual advantage;
• employers should demonstrate more flexibility towards the employment of older workers, and help them to adapt, re-skill and gradually move to more suitable roles and hours when they want to do so;
• employers should support those with responsibilities for caring for older people—particularly people in their 50s or 60s who care for elderly parents—to continue part-time or in flexible work;
• welfare to work policies should also address the needs of older people

Source: Lords Select Committee Press Release (March 14, 2013)

Michigan: Study Identifies Industries with More Older Workers

Jacob Bisel, a senior economic analyst at the Michigan Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives, has released a report showing that, in just over a decade, the proportion of workers age 55 and older in Michigan grew from one in eight to nearly one in five, and identifying the industries with the highest concentration of older workers, and the most older workers, in the statte. Bisel states that "The growth in the number of older workers is more than just changing demographics, as uncertainty during the Great Recession caused many of Michigan’s older workers to prolong
retirement."

According to Michigan’s Aging Workforce: Identifying Industries with High Concentrations of Older Workers—2013 Update, the transit and ground passenger transportation sector had the single highest concentration of older workers in Michigan, with 36% of the industry is 55 or older, an increase of 1.5% since 2010. In terms of raw numbers, the education services subsector led, with 87,804 older workers (which comprise more than a quarter of the industry).

Sources: Michigan Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives 2013 Update; Michigan Live "Rick Haglund: As older Michiganians retire, watch where the jobs will become available" (March 10, 2013)

Australia: Study Finds Mature-Age Women Consistently Underemployed and Underutilized

The Diversity Council Australia (DCA) reports that mature-age women (defined as 45 and older) earn only two-thirds of the income of mature-age men, have significantly lower workforce participation than men, are more likely to be underemployed than men, and retire earlier with around half the superannuation of men of the same age.

Specifically, DCA finds from Australia Bureau of Statistics data that mature women are:

• undervalued Women aged in their fifties and above earn 37% less than men of the same age. Women between 45 and 65 are more highly represented among casual workers than men and are twice as likely to have a job with no leave entitlements than men.
• underemployed Only 47.1% of women aged between 45 and 74 are employed full time compared to 76.9% of men. More than half of mature-age women work part time and 18% of these women (that is 164,500 women) would like to increase the number of hours they work.
• discouraged The percentage of mature-age female discouraged job seekers has remained consistently higher than that of male discouraged job seekers for most of the last two decades. Close to half a million more mature-age women than men (452,300) are discouraged job seekers.
• departed Women retire earlier than men (at 49.6 years of age vs 57.9 for men) and with half the superannuation of men although, on average, women live another 3 to 4.5 years longer than men.

DCA also reports that "research clearly demonstrates significant benefits for organisations and the wider economy from attracting, engaging and retaining female mature-age workers." In May, it will be releasing "Grey Matters to Women: Attracting, Engaging & Retaining Your Female Mature Age Workforce" with research on how Australian organizations can implement workforce solutions that better harness the skills and talents of Australia’s female mature-age workforce. Source: Diversity Council Australia Media Release (March 5, 2013)

Europe: Auditors Cannot Assess if Government Initiatives on Older Workers Actually Help

A report issued by the European Court of Auditors has found that neither European states nor the Commission are in a
position to establish how many older workers have gained new qualifications, or found or kept a job after having benefited from an action funded by the European Social Fund (ESF). According to "Are Tools in Place to Monitor the Effectiveness of European Social Fund Spending on Older Workers," the necessary tools to provide relevant and reliable information that ESF spending is meeting the European Union's strategic objective of increasing the employment rate of older workers have not been put in place by most audited member states.

Accordingly, the Court is recommending that, among other things, the Commission should require member states to design their operational programs (OPs) in such a way that the performance of the ESF funds can be measured. Specifically, the target populations should be unambiguously defined and relevant, quantified operational goals and indicators should be
defined to measure outputs, results and specific impacts at target population group level. Intermediate milestones should be set and a hierarchy of target values established. In addition, it should obtain consistent and reliable information from the Member States in order to be able to provide appropriate information on the means mobilized and the results achieved by the ESF.

The report notes that there were 117 ESF OPs for the 2007–13 programming period, of which 63 addressed older workers in at least one of the following aspects--(a) the OP explicitly identifies older workers as a target group, (b) the OP defines specific indicators to monitor the progress made for this group, or (c) funds were allocated for measures encouraging active ageing and prolonging working life.

Source: European Court of Auditors Press Release (March 5, 2013)

United Kingdom: Study Finds Women and Husbands Working Longer Since Female Pension Age Was Raised

The change at which age women can first receive a state pension in the United Kingdom has had a strong effect in increasing employment among those women directly affected by the reform, but has also changed the behaviour of some of the husbands of the affected women, according to new research. According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies Working Paper ("Incentives, shocks or signals: labour supply effects of increasing the female state pension age in the UK"), the affect on men may possibly be because they are delaying their own retirement so they both retire together or perhaps to cover their wives’ lost pension income with additional earnings.

Under legislation enacted in 1995, since April 2010 the age at which women can first receive a state pension has been rising from 60. It is currently at 61 years and 5 months and is due to rise to 66 by 2020. The findings show that, as a result of the one year increase in the female state pension age--from age 60 to 61--that occurred between April 2010 and April 2012:

• employment rates among 60 year old women have increased by 7.3 percentage points: in other words, in April 2012 there were 27,000 more women in work than there would otherwise have been;
• employment rates among their husbands have increased by 4.2 percentage points: in other words, there were 8,300 more men in work than there would otherwise have been;
• 1.3 percentage points more women aged 60 were unemployed: in other words, there were 5,000 more women aged 60 not in work but looking for work than there would otherwise be;
• the UK’s public finances have been strengthened by around £2.1 billion.

According to Jonathan Cribb, a research economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies and a co-author of the report:

So, despite the weak performance of the UK economy over these two years, many have been able to limit the loss of state pension income through increased earnings. These results apply only to the first groups affected and how women and men respond may change as the pension age rises further. But this is initial evidence that raising pension ages can have significant positive effects on employment.

Source: Institute for Fiscal Studies Press Release (March 8, 2013)

United Kingdom: Guide Published for Employing Older Workers

The United Kingdom's Department for Work and Pensions has published a guide for employers on today’s multi-generational workforce. "Employing Older Workers. An employer’s guide to today’s multi-generational workforce" is drawn from from employers who report clear business benefits from
effectively managing an ageing multi-generational workforce and provides answers to employer questions and offers non-bureaucratic solutions tried and tested by employers of various sectors and sizes.

It also addresses misconceptions about employing older workers concerning productivity, up-skilling, health and ‘blocking’ opportunities for younger workers. Many successful employers report the benefits of employing older workers as part of a multi-generational workforce include:

• a broader range of skills and experience;
• opportunities for mentoring new recruits;
• transfer of skills across the workforce;
• reduced staff turnover; and
• improved staff morale.

Source: TAEN News Release (February 19, 2013)

AARP Starts Releasing Snapshots of 2013 Multicultural Work and Career Study

AARP has announced that it is completing work on its 2013 Multicultural Work and Career Study. Following up on studies performed in 2002 and in 2007, the report will provide an in-depth look at workers ages 45-74: their reasons for working, perceived job security, differential treatment received because of age, their ideal work scenario, the challenges they face, their plans for retirement, and more. In advance of the full report AARP has released its first snapshot, looking at African Americans.

According to the snapshot, a large number of older African-Americans are anxious about continuing weaknesses in the economy and small businesses in which they are involved. Among other things, the study reports that approximately 24% of these workers have lost a job in the past five years, financial motives--money (96%) and saving for retirement (92%)--are the top reasons for working (although 91% also report enjoying their job), and 57%have been in the same job for at least five years.

Source: AARP Surveys and Statistics (February 2013)

Survey: Conference Board Reports U.S. Workers Increasingly Delaying Retirement

According to a new study by the Conference Board, more U.S. workers than ever are planning to delay retirement. Specifically, the Executive Action Report "Trapped on the Worker Treadmill?" shows that, in 2012, 62% of 45- to 60-year-olds reported at least a 20% decline in the value of their financial assets since the start of the crisis (up from 42% in 2010), and that this has led to a 21-percentage-point increase in plans to delay retirement between 2010 and 2012.

“It’s disconcerting that the two years in which the U.S. economy seemed to finally, if fitfully, turn the corner also left so many more workers compelled to change their retirement plans late in their careers,” said Gad Levanon, Director of Macroeconomic Research at The Conference Board and a co-author of the report. “This may benefit some businesses and industries, by reducing labor shortages and skill gaps as experienced workers stick around. At the same time, their delaying retirement can be a significant obstacle to the many companies seeking to cut costs. Mapping out the implications of the trend for individual firms and the economy as a whole means first understanding the drivers behind workers’ retirement decisions.”

According to the report, workers aged 45–60 who’ve experienced a job loss, salary cut, or significant decline in home price are much more likely to have plans for delaying retirement, and the proportion of respondents reporting each of those three misfortunes rose between 2010 and 2012. However, this only explains about half the increase in delayed retirement plans. The remainder, according to the report, reflects larger and longer-term economic and sociological factors, such as shift from defined benefit to defined contribution plans, lower interest rates on savings, better health and longevity, and increasing scarcity of post-retirement health benefits.

Sources: The Conference Board Press Release (February 1, 2013); Human Capital Exchange Blog (February 1, 2013)

United Kingdom: Survey Finds Average Age Increasing among Employees

A survey conducted by Group Risk Development (GRiD) has found that 33% of employers in the United Kingdom have seen the average age of their workforce increase over the last year, a period following the abolition of the Default Retirement Age (DRA). In addition, GRiD reports that 25% of employers said that DRA removal had enabled them to retain knowledge and experience within their business, and a further 17% felt it had increased the diversity in their workplace.

Other findings from the survey indicate that:

• 59% of employers felt that the removal of the DRA meant they were
  more likely to recruit employees aged 50 and over;
• 23% of employers felt that older workers were a store of knowledge;
• 22% of employers said they were more likely to be loyal to the company; and
• 14% of employers said that older employees had the ability to motivate other staff.

On the "negative" side of employing a more age diverse workforce, the survey found that 27% of the employers had seen an increase in absence rates or age related health conditions (such as diabetes and arthritis) since the removal of the DRA. Source: m Group Risk Development Press Release (January 28, 2013)

United Kingdom: 55 Plus Struggling To Find Work through Government Program

According to AgeUK, an analysis of the United Kingdom’s Work Programme finds that participants aged 55 and over are finding it harder than any other age group to move back into work, with the problem particularly acute for those 60 and over.

The figures show that of the 9,500 people aged over 60 referred by Job Centre Plus to the Work Programme in the first 14 months of the scheme, only 140 people (1.48%) managed to find a job through the scheme.

For people aged 55-59 the rate was 2.79 %. These figures compare to a success rate for 18-24 year olds of 3.78% and (3.75%) for those aged 25-34. The overall rate is 3.56%.

Commenting on these figures, Michelle Mitchell, Charity Director General of Age UK said that they are a "stark reminder of the huge challenges facing unemployed older people. Many are being locked out of the job market for no reason other than their age." One step that AgeUK is recommending is for the government to refer older people to the program sooner than the current 12 months after being out of work. In addition, AgeUK is urging that the contractors running program receive incentives to encourage them to find jobs for older people.

Source: AgeUK "Over 55s let down by Government’s Work Programme" (December 12, 2012)

Insurance Industry Extends Research Finding Few Age Differences among Workers Compensation Claims

The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI), which published a report in 2011 finding that, on average, costs for workers aged 35 and older tend to be quite similar, has published a new report that extends the 2011 analysis and finds additional similarities between the 35-and-older-age cohorts. Specifically, "NCCI Workers Compensation and the Aging Workforce: Is 35 the New “Older” Worker?" compares the share of claims by diagnosis and age cohort resulting from permanent partial, temporary total, and medical-only injuries, goes on to identify the factors that account for the observed increases in severities over time for various age cohorts, and concludes by examining safety and loss control programs related to the aging workforce.

Among other things, the report finds that, for a range of specific diagnoses, the shares by type of workplace injury (i.e., temporary total, permanent partial, and medical only) are remarkably comparable across age cohorts. For example, the shares of claims due to "sprain of neck" that were temporary total injuries are virtually identical for both younger and older workers.

In addition, the report finds that injuries due to high severity diagnoses have historically been more common for older workers, but those high severity diagnoses are now becoming common in younger-age cohorts as well.

Source: National Council on Compensation Insurance Press Release (October 31, 2012)