As the Job Market Remains Strong, Older Workers Are Sticking Around

Higher employment levels among U.S. workers at least 65 years old has driven an outsized proportion of job growth, reports CNBC . The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said slightly more than two million jobs were added over the past 12 months, and the number of employed workers 65 or older comprised about 36 percent of this increase. "I think the strong economy really has allowed more people to stick around in the labor force longer than they might have thought possible, especially 10 years ago," said Matt Rutledge with Boston College's Center for Retirement Research. Part of the increase is accountable to employees steadily aging into a new category but not yet retiring, which means those gains in the demographic are not necessarily new additions for the economy in general. Still, growth in workers 65 years and up over the last two years represents a sharp rise relative to total job gains, with Center for American Progress economist Michael Madowitz noting that ratio has topped the 10 percent to 30 percent average. Moreover, 25.5 percent of people older than 65 without a disability were in the workforce, versus 22.3 percent a decade earlier. Madowitz also suggested changing educational levels are a factor, with more educated people entering the 65 and above age bracket, and leading to a greater number of employees who are more likely to live longer and to hold jobs that are not as physically stressful.