• Our Collective Future: The Economic Impact of Unequal Life Expectancy. February 2022. If we do nothing to stop racial disparities in life expectancy, the annual cost to US GDP by 2030 could potentially total $1.6 trillion (5.1%) – the equivalent of Massachusetts and Virginia’s projected 2030 GDP combined. A coordinated cross-sector response to build equity would instead fuel growth. One solution is to expand access to affordable health care and preventative services – particularly in low-income communities and communities of color.

• An Overdue Shift in the Modern Workplace. NationSwell, February 2022. As people live and work longer, workplaces should be inclusive for all employees. Edna Kane-Williams, EVP and chief diversity officer at AARP, shares insights about current opportunities for organizations striving towards equity and justice. Edna Kane-Williams and Anthony Smith, VP of published content and growth at NationSwell, further discuss how shifts in the workforce and the DEI environment are creating opportunities for learning and development, especially for older workers.

• Understanding the Great Resignation and Work for Older Adults. January 2022. An AARP Work & Jobs Data Series survey on the Great Resignation took a deep dive into the minds of workers age 50 and over to find out why they have been leaving jobs and where they were going afterwards. The top reason for leaving or considering leaving was being near retirement age. Not surprisingly, the pandemic played a major role – about 38% of those who retired, left a job, or considered leaving would not have done so prior to the pandemic.

• Workplace Age Bias Hurts Early- And Late-Career Workers. Forbes, February 2022. Both younger and older workers experience age discrimination. Younger workers tend to be valued for their youth and resiliency but are considered too naïve. Meanwhile, older workers are expected to leave quietly to make room for new, younger talent. Companies can start to address this challenge by offering flexible retirement, recognizing that older workers bring unique skills, and actively considering talent of any age during hiring processes.

• Building the Caregiving Workforce Our Aging World Needs. The Global Coalition on Aging & Home Instead, July 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how 1) the world’s aging population is more susceptible to health risks but is often isolated and marginalized; 2) families are smaller and more physically distant than ever before, increasing the need for elder care training and talent; and 3) there is an acute shortage of professional care workers. Efforts to build a strong caregiving workforce should be multi-faceted, requiring collaboration between and among governments, the private sector, and NGOs.

• Retirement Wave: Its Workplace Effect. Morgan Stanley at Work, 2021. What was once a steady retirement flow has become a wave, accelerated over the past year and a half by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it isn’t just Baby Boomers who are retiring in waves; workers in their late 40s and 50s are also leaving the workforce. On the one hand, this means employers are forced to deal with the increased cost of the loss of workers, and on the other, there are new opportunities available for current workers. With this ongoing wave of retirements and job shifts, focus on retaining and retraining talent will be more important than ever.

This month, we are proud to highlight the work of LLEL Collaborative Member Randstad.

Through its social innovation programs, Randstad aims to improve employability and promote equal opportunities for people in the labor market. One example is Randstad RiseSmart Employability in Belgium which helps to integrate workers age 45 and older into the labor market. Through the RiseSmart program, workers receive advice, coaching and support from Randstad branches to help them find a new job after years of unemployment. Randstad RiseSmart Employability in Belgium also works on specific NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) projects in partnership with Belgian social institutions to provide support and guidance to unemployed individuals who are not in educational or training programs. You can read more about Randstad's social innovation programs on their website.

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.