Abstract
Demographic change, technological transformation, and longer life expectancy are reshaping who works, for how long, and the skills required to remain economically engaged. Yet many of the institutions responsible for workforce development continue to operate according to assumptions formed decades ago.
Key Words
Aging workforce, experienced workers, older workers, talent strategy, skills-based hiring, age bias
In Following the Equator, Mark Twain (1897) recounts a journey that is both geographic and philosophical. Twain describes the moment of crossing the equator—an invisible line that nevertheless changes how travelers see the world around them. The stars appear differently. Familiar constellations shift. What once seemed fixed suddenly requires reinterpretation.
The world itself has not changed. The traveler’s perspective has.
America’s workforce is approaching a similar moment.
Demographic change, technological transformation, and longer life expectancy are reshaping who works, for how long, and the skills required to remain economically engaged. Yet many of the institutions responsible for workforce development continue to operate according to assumptions formed decades ago.
The terrain has shifted. The map has not.
Nowhere is this disconnect more evident than in the ways the workforce system approaches older workers. At a moment when experienced workers represent one of the fastest-growing segments of the labor force, and when employers across nearly every sector report persistent talent shortages, older workers continue to be treated as an afterthought in workforce strategy.
This oversight carries real economic consequences. By failing to fully recognize the inherent qualities of experienced workers, the United States risks overlooking one of its most valuable economic assets: experience itself.
Americans are living longer and healthier lives, and many individuals are choosing—or needing—to remain active in the workforce beyond traditional retirement ages.
For organizations like CWI Works and CWI Labs, which have spent decades on the delivery of frontline of workforce training for unemployed older Americans, the massive under-deployment of training resources has far-reaching consequences for employers seeking a skilled workforce.
Recognizing that reality will require a new workforce map.
Demographic Reality
The demographic transformation of the American workforce is not a theoretical observation. It is already underway. According to projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), workers age 55 and older represent one of the fastest-growing segments of the labor force. By the end of this decade, nearly 1 in 4 workers in the United States will be age 55 or older (Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics, 2025).
This shift reflects two powerful forces. Americans are living longer and healthier lives, and many individuals are choosing—or needing—to remain active in the workforce beyond traditional retirement ages.
The United States is not alone in experiencing this transformation. Across advanced economies, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (2019) has documented rising labor force participation among workers between the ages of 55 and 74 as populations age and birth rates decline.
At the same time, employers across industries—from health care and logistics to manufacturing and education—continue to report difficulty filling open positions.
Taken together, these trends come to a simple conclusion: Experienced workers will play an increasingly vital role in sustaining economic growth and workforce stability. Yet workforce policy has been slow to fully embrace this reality.
Structural Gaps in Workforce Development
The American workforce development framework was built for a vastly different labor market. For much of the twentieth century, careers followed a relatively predictable progression. Individuals completed their education early in life, entered the workforce, developed expertise within a particular field, and eventually retired after several decades of employment. Training programs, funding structures, and workforce policies evolved to support that model.
But careers today are far less linear. Workers change jobs multiple times. Technological innovation continuously reshapes skill requirements. Entire occupational categories evolve rapidly as automation and artificial intelligence transform the tasks that workers perform.
Despite these changes, the workforce development community remains oriented toward early-career preparation while offering limited opportunities for workers seeking to update their skills later in life.
Funding streams frequently prioritize youth employment initiatives. Training programs often focus on first-time job seekers rather than individuals navigating mid- or later-career transitions.
The result is a structural gap: Experienced workers who wish to remain in the workforce later in life may struggle to access the training, credentials, and employer connections necessary to do so. Indeed, a survey conducted by CWI Labs found that older workers are eager to learn new skills when given the opportunity (Crist, 2024).
The barrier is not motivation. It is access.
Technology can process information quickly. But it cannot replicate the contextual judgment that comes from decades of professional experience.
America’s Aging Ecosystem Can Do Better
The central policy conversation surrounding aging in America has increasingly focused on our nation’s emerging caregiving crisis. This emphasis is both understandable and necessary. Millions of Americans provide care for aging parents, spouses, and relatives while balancing employment and financial responsibilities.
However, it must be said that caregiving represents only one component of a mosaic of emerging confronting us as we age. By framing aging policy primarily around caregiving, the broader policy ecosystem has unintentionally overlooked what some may argue is an even greater crisis within the aging community: the crisis of workforce participation among older adults.
A compelling argument could be made that how we prepare for later life is inextricably linked to our experiences in the workforce as we age. This argument is eloquently made by Bruce Feiler in his classic book, Life Is in the Transitions, in which he asserts that modern life exists on a non-linear path filled with ups and downs. For many, he discovered, the downs can often be traced to our experiences in the workforce.
The vulnerability that comes with aging is not unique to the United States; however, the severity of our vulnerability when compared to our global peers informs our concern. Since 2020, the BLS has recorded all-time lows in labor force participation rate, and near recorded highs in the long-term unemployment rates among Americans within the cohort ages 54 to 70 (Women’s Bureau, n.d.). These bleak numbers suggest the emergence of a workforce crisis for older workers that will have enormous consequences for millions of Americans as they age.
We cannot remain silent.
If older Americans are to retire in dignity, they will need to earn their way towards a life where dignity can be assured. To do so, the aging community must recognize the merits and consequences of the emerging crisis, and advocate for the provision of training pathways to ensure these individuals remain fully engaged in the labor market.
The urgency is now.
Workforce Development Programs such as the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) demonstrate what targeted workforce policy can achieve. Established under the Older Americans Act and implemented under the umbrella of the Workforce Investment Opportunity Act, at the U.S. Department of Labor, SCSEP provides part-time community service employment and training opportunities for low-income individuals age 55 and older.
For many older job seekers, particularly those facing long-term unemployment or economic hardship, SCSEP provides a critical bridge into the workforce.
Unfortunately, SCSEP is also under threat. Last year, the program was eliminated from the Administration and the House of Representatives FY25 budget. Most alarming of all, the program experienced a prolonged funding pause throughout much of the latter half of 2025, resulting in the furlough of thousands of low-income job seekers and staff within organizations operating the program. The program ultimately survived the 2025 funding crisis and was included in the FY26 Labor-HHS appropriations bill with a very modest funding decrease.
Survival must not lead to complacency.
Organizations such as CWI Works have demonstrated the transformative impact of the program for both individuals and their families. However, the long-term prognosis of the program will immeasurably improve if workforce development generally, and the SCSEP program specifically, attracts greater support across the broader aging community. Currently this is not the case.
The Hidden Cost of Age Bias
Even when opportunities exist, older workers frequently face another barrier: age discrimination. Age bias remains one of the most persistent yet underrecognized challenges in the labor market. Employers may assume that older workers are less adaptable to new technologies or less interested in professional development. The evidence tells a different story.
Research conducted by AARP and the Economist Intelligence Unit (2020) estimated that age discrimination against workers age 50 and older cost the U.S. economy approximately $850 billion in lost GDP in 2018. These losses stem from reduced employment opportunities, premature retirement, and hiring practices that undervalue experienced workers. At a time when employers report widespread labor shortages, such losses represent a costly contradiction.
Reducing age bias will require both cultural change and policy innovation.
Workforce Experience as an Asset
In an economy increasingly shaped by automation and artificial intelligence, the value of human experience may become even more pronounced. Technology can process information quickly but it cannot replicate the contextual judgment that comes from decades of professional experience.
Experienced workers bring institutional memory, industry relationships, and problem-solving capabilities that often prove invaluable during periods of rapid change. They frequently serve as mentors, helping younger colleagues develop professional judgment and navigate complex workplace challenges. They also tend to demonstrate strong reliability and lower turnover rates, providing stability for organizations operating in rapidly evolving environments.
As employers adapt to technological change, the combination of experience and adaptability may prove to be one of the workforce’s greatest strengths.
Navigating the New Workforce Map
In Following the Equator, Mark Twain recognized that crossing an invisible line does not change the world itself. What changes is the traveler’s understanding of the world once the line has been crossed.
America’s workforce is crossing its own equator. Population aging, technological transformation, and evolving career patterns are redefining the nature of work. Older workers are not a temporary feature of this transformation—they are central to it.
America’s workforce is crossing its own equator.
Population aging, technological transformation, and evolving career patterns are redefining the nature of work. Older workers are not a temporary feature of this transformation—they are central to it.
Recognizing this reality will require informed workforce policy, sustained investment in training and employment programs, and greater public awareness of the value experienced workers bring to the economy.
Programs such as the Senior Community Service Employment Program demonstrate what targeted workforce initiatives can achieve. Organizations like CWI Works and CWI Labs continue to explore innovative approaches that connect experienced workers with meaningful employment opportunities.
Crossing the workforce equator does not mark the end of the journey.
It marks the moment when we must begin navigating with a new map—one that recognizes experience as an economic asset, embraces technological change, and ensures opportunity for workers at every stage of life.
Gary A. Officer is a seasoned social entrepreneur and chief executive known for innovative, value-driven public-private partnerships that remove barriers to community development. In addition to founding CWI Labs, he is the President & CEO of CWI Works, the largest and most experienced nonprofit dedicated exclusively to workplace inclusion and economic opportunity for low-income, older job seekers.
Photo credit: Shutterstock/PeopleImages
References
AARP & The Economist Intelligence Unit. (2020). The economic impact of age discrimination. https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/research/surveys_statistics/econ/2020/impact-of-age-discrimination.doi.10.26419-2Fint.00042.003.pdf
Crist, C. (2024, October 11). More than half of older US workers say ageism hinders their hiring. HR Dive. https://www.hrdive.com/news/older-workers-ageism-hiring/729605/
Feiler, B. (2020) Life is in the transitions: Mastering change at any age. Penguin Press.
Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics. (2025, August 28). Civilian labor force by age, sex, race, and ethnicity. U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/civilian-labor-force-summary.htm
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2019). Ageing and Employment Policies: Working better with age. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/c4d4f66a-en
Twain, M. (1897). Following the equator: A journey around the world. The American Publishing Company.
Women’s Bureau. (n.d.). Labor force participation rates. U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/wb/data/latest-annual-data/labor-force-participation-rates
