1 Looming shortages of skilled labor can be eased by relying more on older workers, provided they receive training and their old-age benefits are protected, according to a group of Labor Department studies.
2 'Educational reform in public schools should eventually maximize the labor force of the future, but cannot immediately remedy the skills shortage of today's population,' Labor Secretary Ann McLaughlin said Thursday in releasing the department studies.
3 'I think clearly that older workers should be tapped across the board.'
4 One of the reports, the department's first extensive analysis of potential labor shortages, said major shortages could occur because the economy is projected to grow at 2 percent to 3 percent annually while the rate of work force growth will be just 1 percent.
5 The median age of workers is projected to rise from the current 36 to 39 by the end of the century, with the number of people aged 45 and over increasing from the 1986 total of 74.2 million to 96.3 million.
6 The government said that most employers, while aggressively pursuing members of the shrinking pool of younger workers, have ignored the special needs of older workers, including flexible scheduling, job sharing, health care and phased retirements.
7 In some cases it actually costs older workers to continue working past the age when they are eligible to retire, the studies said.
8 That is because Social Security and private pension provisions often penalize beneficiaries who continue or resume working.
9 The Social Security penalties slowly are being phased out, but the report said that a faster timetable should be considered and that employers should revamp their private plans, offering employees incentives to work to a later age.
10 Another key to keeping older workers on the payroll, researchers said, is retraining employees to reflect the changing labor market.
11 'Far more attention needs to be given to the design of jobs and working conditions that are deliberately tailored to the distinctive capabilities, limitations, needs and preferences of older workers now employed and others who, under the right circumstances, might choose to become re-employed,' the department said.
12 'The barriers are formidable but not insurmountable.'
13 The reports said the definition of older workers can vary, involving employees as young as 47 in some cases.
14 But most problems are faced by workers in their 60s.
15 Workforce participation drops significantly at age 62 and again at 65 because these are eligibility dates for Social Security and many pensions.

The median age of workers is projected to rise from the current 36 to 39 by the end of the century , with the number of people aged 45 and over increasing from the 1986 total of 74 . 2 million to 96 . 3 million .
36 to 39
why is the age rising?