Barbara Bovbjerg
Chair, Task Force on Older Workers; Retirement Security Specialist
In February 2021, the Academy launched a Task Force on Older Workers to identify and assess options for improving retirement security for older workers who are either in physically demanding jobs or facing health challenges. Barbara Bovbjerg chairs a team of 12 Academy Members who will evaluate challenges and offer policy proposals to address the economic insecurity such workers face. Task Force findings are slated for release in early 2022.
Q: Why does a Task Force on Older Workers matter?
When we think about older workers, rising life expectancy creates the expectation that they can — and should — work until at least age 70 to maximize their Social Security benefits. However, not everyone can work that long. Some workers may even have trouble working until 62, which is the early eligibility age for Social Security retirement benefits.
This task force is looking at the situation for people in their 50s and early 60s who are having difficulty continuing to work. Many American workers have physically demanding jobs they are struggling to sustain as they age. An accommodation may not be forthcoming and many individuals report that they are afraid to ask their employer for accommodation.
To get started, we are trying to determine the demographic characteristics of this group: Who are they? What kind of jobs are they doing? What are their sources of income? What challenges or barriers are they facing in getting help? Once we can define the problems then we will be able to provide options for helping to support these workers.
Q: How does the task force answer the questions you’re asking about this group?
With difficulty. What we are doing is really a literature review of papers and analyses that have been written about this group of workers and how they are faring. We may not be able to paint a complete picture with the analyses already out there, but we believe we can say something about who these workers are, what programs if any are helping them, and where the obstacles are. We’re hopeful that we can pull together some information in a way that hasn’t been done before.
As part of our research we are also interviewing economists and other experts, many of them Academy Members. In fact, if there are any Members reading this who have relevant content or know about any work being done in this area, I invite them to let us know. They can contact the Academy’s Policy Director, Elaine Weiss, at eweiss@nasi.org.
Q: What kind of impact could findings have?
We’re hoping to get the attention of policy makers in the Administration, in Congress, and in federal agencies like the Social Security Administration and the Department of Labor about this important issue. I think that some of the options we create may be especially relevant in the shifting labor market resulting from the pandemic.
Of course, we will be connecting with the Academy’s COVID-19 Task Force and the Unemployment Insurance Task Force; it’s one Academy. We’re trying to make sure we’re aware of what each other is doing and how we can help each other.
I really appreciate the Academy and project funder AARP for doing something like this. I’ve been in the retirement and older workers space for decades and this particular topic is a policy area that has not received much direct attention. It’s an honor, and a lot of fun, to chair this task force, which is full of knowledgeable and energetic members. We can look forward to a terrific and constructive report next winter.
More about Barbara Bovbjerg
Barbara Bovbjerg is a retirement security specialist. She is the former managing director of the Education, Workforce and Income Security team at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Her team examined programs and policies supporting Americans of all ages, especially those experiencing unemployment, disability or workplace dangers. She joined GAO in 1990, focusing on retirement income and budget policy issues. Bovbjerg earned a master’s degree in regional planning from Cornell University and a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College.
In February 2021, the Academy launched a Task Force on Older Workers to identify and assess options for improving retirement security for older workers who are either in physically demanding jobs or facing health challenges. Barbara Bovbjerg chairs a team of 12 Academy Members who will evaluate challenges and offer policy proposals to address the economic insecurity such workers face. Task Force findings are slated for release in early 2022.
Q: Why does a Task Force on Older Workers matter?
When we think about older workers, rising life expectancy creates the expectation that they can — and should — work until at least age 70 to maximize their Social Security benefits. However, not everyone can work that long. Some workers may even have trouble working until 62, which is the early eligibility age for Social Security retirement benefits.
This task force is looking at the situation for people in their 50s and early 60s who are having difficulty continuing to work. Many American workers have physically demanding jobs they are struggling to sustain as they age. An accommodation may not be forthcoming and many individuals report that they are afraid to ask their employer for accommodation.
To get started, we are trying to determine the demographic characteristics of this group: Who are they? What kind of jobs are they doing? What are their sources of income? What challenges or barriers are they facing in getting help? Once we can define the problems then we will be able to provide options for helping to support these workers.
Q: How does the task force answer the questions you’re asking about this group?
With difficulty. What we are doing is really a literature review of papers and analyses that have been written about this group of workers and how they are faring. We may not be able to paint a complete picture with the analyses already out there, but we believe we can say something about who these workers are, what programs if any are helping them, and where the obstacles are. We’re hopeful that we can pull together some information in a way that hasn’t been done before.
As part of our research we are also interviewing economists and other experts, many of them Academy Members. In fact, if there are any Members reading this who have relevant content or know about any work being done in this area, I invite them to let us know. They can contact the Academy’s Policy Director, Elaine Weiss, at eweiss@nasi.org.
Q: What kind of impact could findings have?
We’re hoping to get the attention of policy makers in the Administration, in Congress, and in federal agencies like the Social Security Administration and the Department of Labor about this important issue. I think that some of the options we create may be especially relevant in the shifting labor market resulting from the pandemic.
Of course, we will be connecting with the Academy’s COVID-19 Task Force and the Unemployment Insurance Task Force; it’s one Academy. We’re trying to make sure we’re aware of what each other is doing and how we can help each other.
I really appreciate the Academy and project funder AARP for doing something like this. I’ve been in the retirement and older workers space for decades and this particular topic is a policy area that has not received much direct attention. It’s an honor, and a lot of fun, to chair this task force, which is full of knowledgeable and energetic members. We can look forward to a terrific and constructive report next winter.
More about Barbara Bovbjerg
Barbara Bovbjerg is a retirement security specialist. She is the former managing director of the Education, Workforce and Income Security team at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Her team examined programs and policies supporting Americans of all ages, especially those experiencing unemployment, disability or workplace dangers. She joined GAO in 1990, focusing on retirement income and budget policy issues. Bovbjerg earned a master’s degree in regional planning from Cornell University and a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College.