Older and Out of Work: Jobs and Social Insurance for a Changing Economy

Conference Co-Chairs:
Susan M. Daniels, Daniels & Associates
Richard A. Hobbie, National Association of State Workforce Agencies
Gloria T. Johnson, Labor Coalition for Community Action


Why This Topic? Almost all the traditional building blocks of retirement security are changing. The Social Security full benefit retirement age is rising and benefits will replace a smaller share of workers' earnings than in the past. Employers are cutting back on promised pensions and retiree health benefits. The U.S. job market is changing rapidly and economic risks are shifting from government and employers to individuals. Under these conditions, Americans may need to work longer to make ends meet in old age. Working longer, however, is not for everyone.

How can public policies create effective job opportunities for older workers, while at the same time ensuring appropriate wage replacement for those who lose their jobs or their capacity to work before they are financially able to retire? What policies hold promise for low and moderate-income older workers? The Academy's 18th annual conference examines how workforce policies, social insurance, and employee benefits might better respond to a changing economy to provide security for low and moderate income older Americans.

- AGENDA AT A GLANCE -


Day One: Thursday, January 19, 2006

9:00am Registration Opens

10:00am Welcome and Opening Speaker

10:30am Session I: BABY BOOMERS AND JOB PROSPECTS

• The Diverse Aging Boomers: Who Are They?
  Melissa Favreault, The Urban Institute
• What Is Happening with the U.S. Jobs Machine?
  William Rodgers III, Rutgers University
• What Are Employers Thinking and Doing about their Aging Workforces?
  William Arnone, Ernst and Young
• The Business Case for Workers Age 50+
  Roselyn Feinsod, Towers Perrin

12:30pm Lunch Served
Policy Discussion: OUTSOURCING: BOON OR BANE?

• The Global Threat to American Workers
  Thomas Palley, Economist / Author
• The American Worker and Policy: Meeting the Challenges of Trade and Technology
  Catherine Mann, Institute for International Economics

1:45pm Session II: OLDER AND OUT OF WORK: EXPERIENCE AND PROSPECTS

• Unemployment Compensation in a Changing Economy
  Cheryl Atkinson, U.S. Department of Labor
• Unemployment Insurance and Reemployment Among Older Workers
  Randall Eberts and Christopher O'Leary, The Upjohn Institute for Employment Research
• Trade-Related Job Loss and Wage Insurance
  Howard Rosen, Trade Adjustment Assistance Coalition
• A Mixed Record: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Labor Market
  Cecilia Conrad, Pomona College
• Public and Private Strategies for Older, Laid-Off Americans
  Carl Van Horn, Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, Rutgers University

3:30pm Session III: BOOMERS' WORK AND RETIREMENT PLANS

• What Do Boomers Want in Retirement?
  Marc Freedman, Civic Ventures
• Demand for Aging Boomers at Different Skill Levels
  Robert Triest and Margarita Sapozhnikov, Center for Retirement Research
• Do Older Workers Face Discrimination? New Evidence
  Joanna Lahey, National Bureau of Economic Research
• When To Retire: Your Most Important Financial Decision
  Eugene Steuerle, The Urban Institute
• Discussant: Joseph White, Case Western Reserve University

5:00pm Reception and Presentation of 2006 Heinz Dissertation Award

6:30pm Dinner and NASI 20th Anniversary Celebration
Entertainment by the Capitol Steps

Day Two: Friday, January 20, 2006

8:00am NASI Members Breakfast and Annual Meeting

9:00am Roundtable Discussions - Concurrent Sessions:

• Danger Signals Ahead: Challenges Raised by Public and Professional Knowledge of Retirement Risks and Planning, Anna Rappaport, Moderator
• Increasing Retirement Income Security through Common Sense Reforms, Mark Iwry, Moderator
• Implementing Medicare Part D: The First 60 Days, Marilyn Moon, Moderator, AUDIO WEBCAST and PODCAST AVAILABLE
• Employment for People with Disabilities at a Critical Juncture: Where Do We Go from Here? Ken McGill, Moderator
• What's Next on Social Security Reform, Kilolo Kijakazi, Moderator

10:30am Session IV: DISABILITY, SOCIAL INSURANCE AND HEALTH COVERAGE AT OLDER AGES

• Disability and Early Retirement Among Aging Boomers
  Ralph Smith, Congressional Budget Office
• Work Injury and Disability at Older Ages: Social Security and Workers' Compensation
  Robert Schoeni, University of Michigan
• New Evidence on Health Coverage for Aging Boomers
  Sara Collins, The Commonwealth Fund
• Strategies to Fill Gaps and Improve Health Coverage before Medicare
  Paul Van de Water, National Academy of Social Insurance
• Discussant: Jake Jones, DaimlerChrysler Corporation

12:30pm Lunch Served
AN OLDER WORKFORCE: LEARNING FROM FOREIGN EXPERIENCE

• New Findings on Aging Workforces in OECD Countries
  Raymond Torres, OECD, Paris
• Insights from Eastern Europe
  Elaine Fultz, International Labor Office, Budapest
• Crosscutting Look at Employment, Aging and Pension Policies
  Emily Andrews, The Millennium Challenge Corporation, U.S. State Department
• Discussant: Dalmer Hoskins, AARP and former Secretary General of ISSA

2:15pm Session V: THE SOCIAL INSURANCE OF PENSIONS: REFORM PROPOSALS FOR THE PBGC

• The PBGC Today
  Bradley Belt, PBGC
• Retirement Income Security and the PBGC
  David M. Walker, GAO
• Legislative Prospects
  Mildeen Worrell, Minority Counsel, House Ways and Means Committee
• Workers and Pension Reform
  Alan Reuther, United Auto Workers (UAW)
• Moderator: Douglas Elliott, Center on Federal Financial Institutions

3:30pm Co-chairs Conference Wrap Up

Refund Policy:
Any refund requests must be made in writing and postmarked no later than January 15, 2006. All refunds are paid by check and assessed a $30 cancellation fee.