Employers' Attitudes Towards Older Workers: Implications for an Aging U.S. Labor Force and National Employment Policy (United States).

The aging of the U.S. population has created greater interest in the employment problems and needs of workers age 55 and over. However, many believe that substantial employment progress for older workers will not be realized until employers overcome persistent age biases and stereotypes regarding the capabilities of older workers. This study was conducted to improve policy and program planners' knowledge regarding employers' attitudes towards older workers. A survey of 544 Texas businesses was conducted and measures developed of employers' favorableness towards older workers overall and on the dimensions of reliability and dependability, growth potential, costs of hiring, and productivity and output. Analysis of variance and multiple regression were used to test hypotheses regarding correlates of employers's attitudes towards older workers. Overall, employers tended to be more favorable than unfavorable about older workers. They were most positive about older workers' reliability and dependability and their productivity. They were most unfavorable in their view of the costs of hiring older workers and their potential for growth through training. Age of the respondent was the best single predictor of employer attitudes as older employers were significantly more favorable towards older workers. However, none of the significant factors were found to account for a very substantial portion of the variance in employers' attitudes towards older workers. The author concludes that employers' attitudes towards older workers may be mostly a function of individual and r and om factors about the employers or the older workers with whom they have had contact. The policy implications of these findings for improving older worker employment prospects are discussed from the view that changing overall employer attitudes should not be the focus of program efforts. Rather, policy planning should examine ways to relieve the additional costs that employers may actually incur as a result of increasing their use of older workers.PhDLabor economicsUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/161105/1/8621299.pd