Resolutions 11 & 12 Are Good New Year's Resolutions!

As posted yesterday, the WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON AGING 2005 took place in Washington, DC on December 13, 2005

The delegates were asked to select 50 resolutions from a list of 73. The original list was developed in the weeks and months leading up to the WHCoA. That list can be viewed at http://www.whcoa.gov/about/resolutions/Resolutions.pdf

What is important about the resolutions is that they help form the strategy for lawmakers in developing policy going forward regarding and affecting Boomers and Seniors.

The site above lists all the resolutions and the issues behind the resolutions. The two that are vitally important for Boomers over 50 and young Seniors are Resolutions 11 and 12. These two resolutions deal solely with the issues of age discrimination and training for older workers. As you'll note, many of these topics and issues have been the subject of many of this blog's postings and is the focus of the Gen Plus work site. I've reprinted the issues in their entirety below.

Resolution 11

NUMBER: PC 11
TITLE: Retention of Older Workers

An aging population in combination with a falling fertility rate diminishes the size of the national workforce. The impending retirement of the Baby Boom generation can have compounding effects, which destabilize the overall strength of the economy. Employers will lose many experienced workers, and likely face skill gaps in their workforce. Meanwhile, pressures on the Social Security and Medicare programs will increase while tax funds for the programs will decrease.

Currently, federal laws are barriers to keeping older workers in the workforce because they discourage employers from using flexible employment arrangements that encourage older workers to stay employed.

Furthermore, workplace discrimination involving Americans of older age and persons with physical, sensory, and neurological impairments related to chronic illness and disability is increasing according to published scientific research studies. Strategies to prevent age discrimination from affecting opportunities for older workers are needed. While the Americans with Disabilities Act outlaws discrimination in employment on the basis of disability, the labor force participation rate continues around 32% for people with disabilities and 81% for those without disabilities.

RESOLUTION:
Remove Barriers to the Retention and Hiring of Older Workers, Including Age Discrimination.

Resolution 12

NUMBER: PC 12
TITLE: Incentives for Older Workers

Available evidence suggests older workers receive less employment training than younger workers. While there have been successful programs targeted at older workers, more can be done to help workers remain in the workforce, particularly low-wage workers. Studies show that older workers with more updated computer skills may be less likely to retire and more likely to stay in the workforce. In addition, there are a number of economic, legal and institutional barriers to providing incentives to older workers to stay in the workforce. Some of these barriers could be overcome by including more flexible employment arrangements
like phased retirement. To expand the reach of programs like phased retirement, traditional thinking about older workers needs to change and laws that regulate retirement and employee benefits should be reexamined.

Older workers are valuable additions to the workforce. In the role of mentor to younger workers, and as invaluable sources of knowledge, older workers contribute significantly to a successful workplace. Employers need to be made aware of the value of older workers through education campaigns. They should also be educated about the impact of a declining pool of labor that can lead to prospective skill shortages.

RESOLUTION:
Promote Incentives for Older Workers to Continue Working and Improve Employment Training and Retraining Programs to Better Serve Older Workers.