U.S. Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia yesterday introduced the Older Workers’ Bureau Act to assist American workers age 55 and older in navigating the workforce.
The legislation would establish an Older Workers’ Bureau within the Department of Labor tasked with identifying challenges facing workers aged 55 and older and developing policies to improve employment conditions and opportunities for older workers.
“As more Americans work into their later years and workplace conditions evolve, a larger share of our workforce is facing challenges such as age discrimination and work-limiting health conditions,” Beyer said. “These workers need and deserve coordinated information and support, which currently does not exist. The establishment of an Older Workers’ Bureau would provide a central office dedicated to supporting our older workers and ensuring they have the resources they need to be successful.”
According to said Ramsey Alwin, President and CEO of the National Council on Aging, older workers have lost jobs in massive numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic just as they did during the Great Recession. Older Americans struggle with long-term unemployment more so than younger workers.
“Millions more have abandoned the job search entirely and opted for early retirement, putting their already tenuous financial security at risk in their later years. Now is the time to make substantive changes in the programs and systems that help Americans return to work, particularly older adults. On behalf of the National Council on Aging, I applaud Rep. Beyer for his leadership on the Older Workers’ Bureau Act to bring high-level, substantive federal attention to the challenges and opportunities of an aging workforce and incentivize state and local targeting and innovation to meet the needs of older workers. We urge Congress to incorporate these proposals in upcoming workforce development policymaking,” Alwin said.
The Older Workers’ Bureau Act would authorize $10 million per year to support the welfare of older workers by:
- Establishing a data hub and coordinating research related to challenges facing older workers;
- Developing potential policy solutions to improve employment conditions and opportunities;
- Providing outreach and education to institutions supporting older workers; and
- Administering grant programs to expand research into older workers and to combat structural ageism in the workplace.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that between 1995 and 2021, the share of older workers more than doubled to nearly 24 percent from 12 percent and is expected to continue to rise.
The Older Workers’ Bureau Act is endorsed by the National Council on Aging and sponsored by U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon and Sylvia Garcia of Texas.
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Rebecca Barnabi
