Oct 18, 2023

Question of the Day: What percent of people age 75 and older are still working?

Many of our parents and grandparents are hard workers, but how many are carrying on into their late 70s?

Answer: 8.9%, With workers age 75+ expected to have the greatest growth of any age bracket in the near future

A cartoon image of a man and women of retirement age standing next to a house.

Questions:

  1. What are some reasons that people would still be working into their late 70s?
  2. How do you think the number of older people still in the workforce will impact you when you look for a job?
  3. Do you think your generation will be more likely to work past 75, compared to the baby boomers?
  4. What steps can you take now if you are not interested in working into your 70s? 

 

Here's the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.

 

Behind the numbers (The Guardian and BLS data): 

Over the next decade, the number of workers ages 75 and older is expected to increase in the US by 96.5%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with their labor force participation rate projected to rise from 8.9% in 2020 to 11.7% by 2030, a rate that has steadily increased from 4.7% in 1996.

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Check out the NGPF Career Unit page for more ideas on projects, activities and other resources to prepare your students for the future.

About the Author

Ryan Wood

Ryan grew up with and maintains a love for learning. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay with a degree in Business Administration and worked in sports marketing for a number of years. After living in Texas, Colorado, Tennessee, and Minnesota, the call of education eventually brought Ryan back to his home state of Wisconsin where he was a Business and Marketing teacher for three years. In his free time he likes to spend time with his wife and daughter, play basketball, read, and go fishing. Now with NGPF, Ryan is excited to help teachers lead the most important course their students will ever take.

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