Older workers are more likely to stay on the job when they have control over hours, workplace flexibility, job autonomy and learning opportunities

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Older workers will usher in new patterns of working and retirement according to two new reports released by The Center on Aging and Work/Workplace Flexibility at Boston College and Families and Work Institute. The release of the reports coincides with the White House Conference on Aging, which will make recommendations to Congress and the President about issues facing the aging workforce.

The reports, based on data from the Families and Work Institute's National Study of the Changing Workforce, offer one of the most comprehensive analyses to date of the demographics and working situations of older workers, defined as workers 50 years-of-age or older. The reports reveal the work preferences of older workers as well as how they perceive the workplace of the future.

"The Baby Boomer Generation has always approached life differently," says Ellen Galinsky, president and co-founder of Families and Work Institute.

"In 2006, Boomers will begin turning 60, and they will likely change what we know about aging and retirement in America. For example, we know that Baby Boomers are more likely to be work-centric than other generations and the majority of older workers do not want to reduce their job responsibilities, but rather want to keep the same level of responsibilities in the future."

The first report, Context Matters: Insights about Older Workers from the National Study of the Changing Workforce, found that older workers are more likely to continue working when they have more control over their work hours, workplace flexibility, job autonomy and learning opportunities.

The second report, The Diverse Employment Experiences of Older Men and Women in the Workforce, found that female workers over the age of 50 are at a distinct disadvantage to older male workers in that they earn substantially less than men.

"Policy makers need to consider options that will minimize the impact of these disadvantages so women's transitions into retirement won't be jeopardized," says Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes, Ph.D., co-director of the Center on Aging & Work at Boston College.

For copies of the reports and information on the aging workforce, visit http://www.bc.edu/agingandwork or http://www.familiesandwork.org/.