• Great Resignation or Great Reset? What's Your Path? WorkingNation, January 2022. Dr. Jean Accius, SVP of Global Thought Leadership for AARP joins Romona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief of WorkingNation, in this podcast episode to discuss the mid-career workforce and the Great Resignation. Some of the factors cited as reasons that older workers are dropping out of the labor market include concerns about their health during the pandemic, fears for others’ health when they are caregivers, and their renewed sense of purpose and belonging that is not necessarily tied to their current job.
   

• The People-Focused Company: Why Age Diversity Matters More Than You Think. January 2022. In 2022, a people-focused strategy isn’t frou-frou philosophy, it’s profit-driven practice. And, it must include workers of all ages. A multigenerational workforce yields a stronger pipeline of talent, strengthens business continuity, and helps companies close the labor shortage gap. Moving forward, businesses should prioritize age and experience inclusion as well as a focus on recruitment, retention, and reconnection. 
   

• Hiring for Experience: Employer Attitudes Towards Credentials as Proof of Skills. November 2021. In late 2021, AARP fielded a survey to better understand employer attitudes towards credentials like educational attainment as proof of skills. Responses show that many employers (62%) occasionally hire workers lacking required degrees, but few (12%) do it often. In contrast, when evaluating skills, many employers place greater value on work experience (56% “very important”) compared to educational credentials.
   

• Five Steps to Build a Better Labor Market in the Future of Work. 2021. U.S. business leaders continue to lament a so-called “labor shortage” while simultaneously overlooking millions of workers. Over 70 million American workers – many of whom are age 50-plus – have been Skilled Through Alternative Routes (STARs), as opposed to a traditional college degree, which traditionally limits their economic opportunity. Reimagining job descriptions and hiring requirements, providing more upskilling opportunities, and building a new talent category through support of the STARs movement can all greatly benefit both workers and employers. 

• The Great Resignation? More Like the Great Renegotiation. NPR, January 2022. Most Americans quitting their jobs seem to be aiming to get better ones. Bargaining power has shifted in their favor, giving workers the opportunity to commence a Great Renegotiation. Workers are asking for higher pay, perks, flexibility, and good treatment. Low-wage workers have been distinctly affected by this trend, especially in the context of rising costs of living. A resulting concern is that, as wages increase, so will prices – the start of a potentially troublesome cycle of inflation.
   

• The Future of Work: Harnessing the Longevity Dividend in a Changing World. DOW, September 2021. DOW previously hosted a panel of experts from Mercer, Unilever, 20-First, and Aviva to explore the topic of age inclusion in the workplace. These thought leaders discussed how workplaces are benefiting from a multi-generational workforce as well as innovative programs and employment models that can accommodate flexibility during multiple life stages, such as a transition to retirement or career reinvention.

This month, we are proud to highlight the work of LLEL Collaborative Member AIG in our first Newsletter Employer Spotlight.
 

AIG recently released the report Moving Forward: Planning for the Future in Changing Times to present the results of survey data that the organization collected in June and July of 2021. The survey’s aim was to understand how the pandemic may have affected attitudes, behaviors and outlook toward retirement, planning for the future, being prepared for the unexpected, and working with financial professionals. Against a background of sustained uncertainty, many people see increased value in financial planning. For two-thirds of survey respondents, beginning to save or increasing their retirement savings is now a high priority. Looking at age-group differences, Millennials have the most optimistic outlook on life in retirement relative to Gen X and Boomers. Meanwhile, across generations, the financial gender gap persists as women are less likely than men to have improved in retirement readiness. Check out the full infographic of results here. 

The Living, Learning and Earning Longer Collaborative (LLEL) works with global companies to refine the business case for age diversity and highlight promising practices from around the world. With the World Economic Forum (WEF) and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), AARP is considering the complexities of the multigenerational workforce in the context of an organization’s recruitment and retention practices, flexible work and caregiving benefits, lifelong learning, and training and assessment procedures. To learn more, visit Growing with Age: Unlocking the Power of the Multigenerational Workforce, LLEL's digital learning platform which offers tools—including the latest research that makes the business case for age diversity—to help employers build, support and sustain multigenerational workforces.
 

If your organization has not done so already, we highly encourage joining the AARP Employer Pledge Program. This program connects a nationwide group of employers that stand with AARP in affirming the value of experienced workers and is committed to developing diverse organizations. Learn more about signing the pledge.