The triumph of older workers during the Great Recession: Implications for employers and disability policy

Abstract

The authors present and analyze a variety of datasets outlining trends in employment during the Great Recession. Noteworthy in these findings is the impact of the Great Recession on the labor market status of workers over the age of 55. In analyzing three distinct labor market outcomes, the surprising finding emerges that older workers persisted in job seeking efforts and remained part of the active labor market more so than younger age groups. They were rewarded by record levels of hiring and the lowest levels of employment-to-population decline from 2007 to 2010. Their share of the labor market will dramatically increase in the decade ahead and with it the representation of workers with disabilities and all that this implies. Record levels of accommodation, workplace accessibility, assistive technology, ergonomics and innovation are likely to become routine due to this irrepressible demographic trend.