More and more Americans previously relegated to the margins of the economy are successfully finding work. But for one group of workers, the jobs surge has been less dramatic — namely those aged 55 and over. Fortunately, Congress has a mechanism to help address this discrepancy — they just need to fund it.
Even as the employed share of “prime working age” Americans (25 to 54) has recovered to pre-pandemic levels — and in the case of women, now exceeds those levels — employment rates still lag for people 55 and over. At the same time, job vacancies in the U.S. economy still outnumber the count of people actively seeking work. Certain sectors have particularly high levels of vacancies, like healthcare, social services, child care and long-term care facilities.
Thankfully, Congress already has a way to help connect older workers who are on the sidelines of the labor market…
