Methods to Enhance the Skills of Mature Workers
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The U.S. economy is facing a significant challenge in ensuring an adequate and skilled labor force. One of the key factors contributing to this issue is the skills gap, with not enough skilled workers to meet the demands of businesses. As thousands of new graduates join the workforce this summer, they won't be enough to meet the need for a skilled labor force.
However, there is a potential solution that has gone largely untapped: older workers. This segment, which includes roughly 11 million people and has nearly quadrupled in size since the mid-1980s, is the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. workforce.
According to a 2024 CWI Labs survey, 92% of workers over the age of 50 want opportunities to learn new skills. This is a promising sign, as older Americans typically have honed their workplace skills through years of experience, including soft skills like teamwork, problem solving, adaptability, and leadership.
To help fill the pipeline, offering more apprenticeships targeting older workers can help maximize their talents. The average age of new participants in Registered Apprenticeship programs is 29 years old, but by providing opportunities for older workers, we can align their skills with current industry demands and technology use.
In addition to apprenticeships, implementing strategies such as flexible work arrangements can significantly help address the U.S. labor shortage. These arrangements can accommodate older workers' changing life circumstances and preferences, improving retention and labor force participation among this demographic.
The median tenure of workers ages 55 to 64 is more than three times the tenure of workers ages 25 to 34. This means that older workers are often more loyal to their employers, providing a stable workforce in an environment where labor shortages are driven by demographic shifts and evolving skill requirements.
Age-diverse teams consistently outperform their narrow-age counterparts. According to the International Longevity Centre, age-diverse teams meet or exceed expectations 80% of the time. Organizations that cultivate workforces of all ages can benefit from higher-functioning teams.
In 2025, the unemployment rate is holding steady at around 4%. However, the number of workers aged 55 and older is expected to grow three times faster than the number of workers aged 25 to 54. Implementing strategies for older workers, such as offering apprenticeships, training opportunities, and flexible work arrangements, can help address this issue by expanding the available skilled workforce and improving adaptability.
Gary A. Officer, the Founder & CEO of CWI Labs and President & CEO of its sister organization, CWI Works, emphasizes the importance of these strategies. By leveraging older workers through targeted training, apprenticeships, and flexible options, we can increase the effective labor supply, mitigate skills mismatches, and enhance organizational capacity to navigate ongoing labor market challenges in the U.S.
- Gary A. Officer, recognizing the importance of leveraging older workers, advocates for implementing strategies such as targeted training, apprenticeships, and flexible work arrangements to increase the effective labor supply and mitigate skills gaps in the U.S. business sector.
- As the number of workers aged 55 and older grows three times faster than the number of workers aged 25 to 54, offering finance-oriented education-and-self-development opportunities, alongside apprenticeships and flexible work arrangements, can contribute to a more adaptable lifestyle for older workers and help fill the pipeline for the finance, business, and lifestyle sectors.
