Grants helps researchers bridge research and practice gap in their work on older working caregivers

Through a grant from AARP Thought Leadership, Christina Matz, an associate professor at the Boston College School of Social Work, and Chin-Yi Su, a doctoral student at BCSSW, are bridging the gap between research and practice in their work on older working caregivers.

In partnership with Critical Mass—an employer partner in AARP’s Living, Learning & Earning Longer Collaborative—they have authored an innovative-practice case study of Concentric, an eldercare benefit that provides employees with 40 hours of flexible paid leave each year.

The team has submitted a panel proposal to South by Southwest, or SXSW, to showcase this work. The session, if accepted, will explore the program’s origin, share internal research on its global effectiveness, and offer lessons for organizations seeking to implement similar benefits.

 "Caregiving isn’t a niche issue—it’s a workforce reality," says Matz, director of the Center on Aging & Work at BCSSW. "Our Concentric case study shows that a simple, flexible five days (40 hours) of paid eldercare leave can provide real relief for employees and measurable gains in retention and engagement. We’re eager to share how Critical Mass made it work so other employers can adapt, scale, and support a truly multigenerational workforce."

Community voting for their SXSW panel is open through August 24.

New report identifies caregiving typologies of older working adults

The United States is undergoing significant demographic and societal transformations as its population ages. By 2030, nearly 20 percent of the population will be aged 65 or older, a shift mirrored in the labor force where older workers, aged 50 and above, represent a rapidly growing segment.

Alongside this aging workforce, the caregiving crisis is intensifying, with over 53 million Americans providing unpaid care to loved ones.

Christina Matz, an associate professor at the Boston College School of Social Work, and Chin-Yi Su, a doctoral student at BCSSW, say that this dual trend underscores the urgent need to understand the experiences of older working caregivers, a group that bears both professional and personal responsibilities.

A new report co-authored by Matz and Yi Su—titled The Many Faces of Care—leverages data from the 2018 Health and Retirement Study to identify six distinct caregiving typologies among workers aged 50 and above.

These typologies range from individuals without caregiving responsibilities to those engaged in caregiving or financial support for spouses, parents, children, or grandchildren. Each typology highlights unique sociodemographic characteristics, health outcomes, and well-being profiles.

The findings, Matz and Yi Su say, have critical implications for employers. Tailored support programs, flexiblework policies, comprehensive benefits, and inclusive management training, they explain in the report, can address the diverse needs of caregiving employees. Additionally, recognizing caregiving roles as integral to employees' contributions can foster a more inclusive workplace culture.

Matz discusses the benefits of intergenerational programming

Christina Matz, an associate professor in the Boston College School of Social Work, said programming that unites older adults with younger people can reduce lonliness and isolation—two distinct but interconnected issues associated with an increased risk of poor health outcomes.

“Taking an intergenerational approach is a really strong strategy because it can have ripple effects,” Matz, a gerontologist who directs BC's Center on Aging & Work, recently told the Boston University School of Public Health. “It addresses feelings of disconnection, and builds community, but also, when people have intergenerational interactions, they're more likely to view their own aging more positively.”

Matz interviewed by PBS NewsHour

North Dakota voters approved a ballot measure on June 11 that would prohibit lawmakers in the state from being over 80 before their term ends.

Christina Matz, an associate professor in the Boston College School of Social Work, reflected on the ballot measure as part of a segment for PBS NewsHour that aired the day of the vote.

As reported in the piece, her research suggests that older workers can draw on a deeper knowlege base and are generally more emotionally regulated than their younger peers.

"Overall, chronological age is not a good proxy for almost anything," said Matz, a gerontologist who directs the Center on Aging & Work. "Age is one of those last 'isms' that still tends to be socially accepted. And I think we stereotype ourselves in terms of age. We make jokes about people's age. And there's not a whole lot of credibility behind it."

Matz interviewed for 'Today in Tech' video podcast

While the technology job market remains strong for many workers, people over the age of 50 are finding it more difficult to get new jobs and navigate past the layers of hiring with the institution of new AI screening tools.

Christina Matz, an associate professor in the Boston College School of Social Work, said that older workers are having a hard time getting new jobs in the tech industry in part due to an unfounded belief that they are less willing and able to learn how to use new technology.

"Oftentimes, tech companies might be marketing jobs looking for younger people who have just recently been trained on the newest technology, and so I think it's kind of perpetuated that bias," Matz said in the latest episode of the 'Today in Tech' video podcast, which focused on age discrimination in the tech industry.

"It's always existed," added Matz, a gerontologist who directs the Center on Aging & Work. "It's these negative stereotypes that as you get older, you're less able to learn new technologies and that you're less willing to learn new technologies. And we've seen employers double down on that in the tech industry, which is problematic and largely unfounded."

Halvorsen quoted in Chicago Sun Times

Cal Halvorsen, an assistant professor in the Boston College School of Social Work, was recently quoted in the Chicago Sun Times for an article that ran under the headline "How to help reduce elder poverty? Keep seniors employed."

Halvorsen provided insights into a federal work program for low-income adults age 55 and older called the Senior Community Service Employment Program. His research on SCSEP has found that participants learn about useful services to help them financially—knowledge that benefits their families and communities too.

“Many participants do not want or don't have the health to seek full-time work. Many seek part-time work," said Halvorsen,  a faculty affiliate of the Center on Aging & Work. "This is still a good thing.”

Matz quoted in article for Money

Christina Matz, an associate professor in the Boston College School of Social Work, was recently quoted in an online publication called Money for an article that ran under the headline "Why the 'Right' Retirement Age Doesn’t Actually Exist."

Matz, a gerontologist who directs the Center on Aging & Work, told Money that retirement policy shouldn’t be based on chronological age at all, but a variety of factors that account for the diversity of workers’ experiences and abilities.

“It's really hard to make any kind of a blanket policy with these types of questions," she said.

Matz quoted in article for BBC

Christina Matz, an associate professor in the Boston College School of Social Work, was recently quoted in the BBC for an article that ran under the headline '"Gen X has had to learn or die': Mid-career workers are facing ageism in the job market."

Matz, a gerontologist who directs the Center on Aging & Work, told the publication that it's an especially bad time for mid-career workers to be grappling with age bias. Many Gen Xers are navigating the "sandwich" phase of life, she said, juggling responsibilities such as childcare and support for aging parents. They have burdens on both their time and their money, as the article put it, and most are not ready to stop working, whether because they have pressing bills to pay, retirement to save for, or because they don't want to lose career momentum. 

 "Gen X is caught in the middle," she said. "And where does that leave them?"

Halvorsen writes blog for AARP International

Cal Halvorsen, an assistant professor in the Boston College School of Social Work, has written a blog post for AARP International highlighing findings from his new study to better understand the self-employment landscape among people 50 and over.

Halvorsen and BCSSW Doctoral Student Bruna Lopez teamed up to analyze more than 1.25 million observations of respondents age 50 and older living in the United States between 2000 and 2022 with data from the IPUMS Current Population Survey, revealing nationally representative trends in the share of the population that engaged in entrepreneurship over time.

The duo then looked at how this differed by age group, gender, race, ethnicity, education, income, marital status, and citizenship status, as well as health insurance coverage and access to retirement savings plans at work.

In general, Halvorsen and Lopez found that unincorporated self-employment is more common than incorporated self-employment among older adults, and rates of unincorporated self-employment have declined over the past two decades, whereas rates of incorporated self-employment have held steady.

"For adults 50-plus, entrepreneurship can be an important source of income," said Halvorsen, a faculty affiliate of the Center on Aging & Work, "serving as one’s main job, a side hustle, or a bridge to retirement."

Halvorsen quoted in American Psychological Association Monitor

Assistant Professor Cal Halvorsen was recently quoted in the American Psychological Association Monitor for an article titled "Generations unite to address loneliness, climate change, other global challenges."

Halvorsen, a faculty affiliate of the Center on Aging & Work, gave his thoughts on a study in which about 33 percent of Black and Hispanic respondents reported that the opportunity to work across generations makes them “much more likely” to get involved, compared with 16 percent of White respondents.

“People living in multigenerational households have likely experienced social and financial benefits from that arrangement and felt a sense of intergenerational cohesion, which could lead them to see the potential benefits of intergenerational programs,” he said.

Matz publishes new article in Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health

Associate Professor Christina Matz recently published her findings from a quasi-experimental pilot study that evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a culturally tailored walking program to improve physical activity and social engagement for older Chinese Americans in Boston.

The study, featured in the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, revealed that a culturally tailored walking intervention was feasible and acceptable for older Chinese Americans, improving social engagement and physical activity scores.

"Our study contributes to the growing body of work providing insight to the value of culturally and linguistically adapted interventions for ethnic minority older adults," Matz, a gerontologist who directs the Center on Aging & Work, and her co-authors write in the article. 

Matz and Halvorsen publish articles in latest issue of Generations

Associate Professor Christina Matz and Assistant Professor Cal Halvorsen have each published a new article in the latest issue of Generations.

In Intersectional Perspectives to Health and Work in Later Life, Matz and co-author Kendra Jason discuss how understanding the interconnected ways in which our social identities enable or constrain our lives will help promote long, healthy, and productive lives for everyone.

"We have seen shifts in our collective understanding of how structural factors and multiple sources of oppression (e.g., ageism, ableism, racism, and other “isms” based on marginalized social identities) intersect to constrain choice and opportunity over the life course to produce health and economic inequities," Jason and Matz, a gerontologist who directs the Center on Aging & Work, write in the article.

In Older Entrepreneurs: Unsupported Economic Heroes, Halvorsen provides several strategies for reducing the number of older entrepreneurs who disproportionately lack health insurance and workplace retirement savings program coverage. 

He argues that more emphasis needs to be placed on linking individuals to health insurance subsidies, if eligible, while creating policies that aim to create more universal coverage. One option, he says, is to reduce the age of Medicare eligibility for everyone.

"It is concerning that so many people later in life, at a time when chronic disease rates increase, are not covered by health insurance," writes Halvorsen, a faculty affiliate of the Center on Aging & Work. 

New report highlights experiences of working caregivers age 50 and over before, during, and after COVID-19

Associate Professor Christina Matz recently published a report highlighting the experiences of working caregivers age 50 and over before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Among many other findings, the report revealed that the pandemic disrupted older caregivers' full-time jobs and changed their work experience. In particular, caregivers experienced increased job stress and reported a decrease in job enjoyment in the wake of COVID-19.

"The findings highlight the nuanced narrative that has emerged before, during, and after the pandemic that speaks volumes about the resilience and struggles of caregivers," Matz, a gerontologist who directs the Center on Aging & Work, writes in the report. "It underscores a crucial need for supportive measures in the workplace and society to better protect and empower those who selflessly care for others, often at the cost of their own well-being and career trajectories. 

Halvorsen highlights trends in self-employment among Americans age 50 years and older

Assistant Professor Cal Halvorsen and doctoral student Bruna Lopez recently published a report detailing the trends in self-employment among older Americans.

Analyzing nationally representative data of people age 50 and older living in the United States between 2000 and 2022, the researchers revealed major differences in self-employment activity by several sociodemographic factors.

Among their findings:

• Americans ages 50 to 64 are more likely to be in both incorporated and unincorporated self-employment than those ages 65 and older.
• Men have higher rates of both types of self-employment than women.
• College degree holders have higher rates of both types of self-employment than those without college degrees.

"These findings illustrate the complicated nature of self-employment and its relationship with important sociodemographic factors among older Americans," Halvorsen, a faculty affiliate of the Center on Aging & Work, writes in the report. 

Joseph Quinn quoted in The Washington Post

Joseph Quinn, a faculty affiliate of the Center on Aging & Work, discussed the growing percentage of Americans over 65 who are still working in an article for The Washington Post on December 14.

“The old prototype retirement—where you work somewhere 40 years, then they throw you a party and give you a gold watch, and you never work again— just isn’t the case for most people anymore,” said Quinn, an economics professor at Boston College. “Today’s workers are retiring gradually, in stages.”

Jacquelyn B. James quoted in Barron's

Jacquelyn B. James, the founding director of the Sloan Research Network on Aging & Work, recently discussed the uptick of older Americans who are working into their 70s and 80s in an article for Barron's.

The magazine reported that the number of workers ages 75 and over is expected to grow 78 percent from 2022 to 2023, the biggest increase of any age group, according to projections from the Bureal of Labor Statistics. And almost half of working baby boomers remain or expect to remain in the labor force past 70, based on a recent survey by the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies.

“For the past 20 years, people in my business have been telling employers, ‘You have to get ready for this,’” James told the publication. “I think the message is getting out.”

Christina Matz is quoted in MarketWatch

Associate Professor Christina Matz was quoted in a news article for MarketWatch focused on how America’s farmers can offer some insights for an aging society and workforce.

The article reported that farmers and ranchers, who make up just 1.3 percent of the workforce and mostly own their businesses, work much longer than people in other fields and occupations. 

Matz, a gerontologist who directs the Center on Aging and Work at the Boston College School of Social Work, said the reason farmers retire later than people in many other occupations “seems to come down to [the fact that] they have extremely strong connections to their work and the land they farm.”

Christina Matz publishes article for AARP International

Associate Professor Christina Matz has published a new article for AARP International, laying out four challenges that employers, policymakers, and researchers must confront as more people delay retirement and work longer.

"In a post-COVID world, the field must come together to reimagine outdated models and set the agenda for new policies and practices moving forward," said Matz, a gerontologist who directs the Center on Aging and Work at the Boston College School of Social Work.

Jacquelyn B. James quoted in The Washington Post

Jacquelyn B. James, the founding director of the Sloan Research Network on Aging & Work, recently discussed the potential difficulties of retirement in an article for The Washington Post.

“The people who have the hardest time are the people who have been over-involved in work and not invested in any other kinds of activities, and don’t have a community to get involved in when the work community is no longer there,” she said.

Jacquelyn B. James discusses the complexities of retirement

Jacquelyn B. James, the founding director of the Sloan Research Network on Aging & Work, recently discussed the many complexities of retirement on “The Psychiatry Show” with Jessica Stern on Sirius XM's "Doctor Radio."

As part of the discussion, James and Stern talked about the challenges and the joys of retirement, the timing of retirement, and tips to develop an elevator speech after retirement in answer to the question: "What do you do?" 

Halvorsen quoted in the Wisconsin State Journal

Assistant professor Cal Halvorsen was recently quoted in the Wisconsin State Journal for an article that ran under the headline "Ron Johnson encourages seniors to rejoin the workforce, proposes payroll tax waiver."

Halvorsen, who serves as an affiliate of the Center on Aging & Work, commented on Sen. Ron Johnson's proposal to fix Wisconsin’s labor shortage: Encourage seniors to rejoin the workforce and don’t charge them payroll taxes.

“I can see Sen. Johnson’s plan as having a small, positive benefit toward the goal of encouraging older adults to reenter the workforce,” Halvorsen told the Journal. "Yet, I also worry about the effect on the federal budget overall and, in particular, the Social Security retirement program, which would lose money at a point when Congress still hasn’t fixed the projected budget shortfall in 2035.”

You can read the entire article now.

Halvorsen quoted in Yahoo Money

Assistant professor Cal Halvorsen recently told Yahoo Money that he was not surprised by the results of a new survey of 1,000 401(k) plan participants between the ages of 21 and 70.

The survey, released in July by Schwab Retirement Plan Services, found that one-third of respondents did not know how long their savings are likely to last in retirement. The other two-thirds, who estimated, said they expect their retirement savings to last 23 years on average.

“These results don’t surprise me,” said Halvorsen, an affiliate of the Center on Aging & Work. “From my own experiences with graduate students in their 20s, most lack a clear understanding of retirement savings strategies and also think that it is a problem to deal with in the future. As a result, many don’t realize the importance of taking the money on the table at their first jobs (if their job even offers a 401(k) or similar with a match, which many don’t).”

You can read the entire news story now.

New paper examines popular work-based job training program for older Americans

Assistant professor Cal Halvorsen and his colleagues have developed a set of 13 recommendations to strengthen a popular work-based job training program for older Americans. Their findings were published in June in Research on Aging.

Halvorsen, an affiliate of the Center on Aging & Work, and his collaborators interviewed 15 participants in the Federal Senior Community Service Employment Program, which provides on-the-job training to people 55 years and older with incomes at or below 125% of the federal poverty level. 

Their goal was to examine how the program influences the financial, physical, and mental well-being of participants in SCSEP, which was created in 1965. After meeting with each participant five times, they made more than a dozen recommendations to improve the program and shared their suggestions with over 50 SCSEP administrators throughout the U.S.

You can read the full report now. 

Here's what employers can do to attract older workers

Jacquelyn B. James, the founding director of the Sloan Research Network on Aging & Work, provides six tips for employers who are looking to recruit and retain older workers in a new op-ed for Generations. 

The tips include revisting job descriptions, publicizing the availability of fair and consistent flexible work arrangements, and providing training and development opportunities. 

"Success may also mean taking a stand—making a commitment to embrace older workers who are skilled, motivated and eager to work," James writes in the op-ed. "Such a stand takes courage as there are many barriers to doing so—old tropes and stereotypes, concerns about lawsuits, and the expense of hiring experienced workers."

Important news about the Sloan Research Network activities for 2022

While the grant supporting the Sloan Research Network ended on November 30, 2021, the network has been approved for a no-cost-extension (NCE) of the grant for one year. The network does, however, have remaining funding to plan a meeting at GSA in November 2022 in Indianapolis. Learn more about this and about a change in the network's leadership. 

Newsweek cites professor Cal Halvorsen's research in new op-ed

Newsweek cited research by assistant professor Cal Halvorsen in a new op-ed titled "The Case for Putting Seniors in Charge of Universal Pre-K."

Halvorsen, an affiliate of the Center on Aging and Work, used the fact that there are now more people over 60 in the U.S. than under 18 as a jumping off point for exploring what it means to have a society with more older people than younger ones.

His report placed the aging of America in perspective and examined the impact of an aging society on our communities and economy.

Sloan Research Network hosts Gerontological Society of America webinar

The Sloan Research Network on Aging & Work hosted a Gerontological Society of America (GSA) webinar titled  "Unequal Prospects for Working Longer, Before and After the Pandemic: What Can We Do?" on October 7, 2021, in conjunction with the GSA Annual Meeting. View the webinar's archived video, slides, and presenter bios.

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