Workforce Programs Serving Older Workers and Other Populations with Employment Barriers

Increases in life expectancy (Johnson 2018; Li 2022), improvements in educational attainment and physical health within the older population (Johnson 2018; McGarry 2004), declines in the prevalence of physically demanding jobs (Johnson, Mermin, and Resseger 2011), and increases in the Social Security retirement age (Johnson 2018; Li 2022; Song and Manchester 2007) are among the factors associated with the rise in employment rates among older adults. The purpose of this study is to build evidence about the implementation of the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) and other DOL workforce programs serving older workers to inform the continuous improvement of SCSEP. This involves (1) a review of existing knowledge and data to inform evaluation activities, (2) an implementation evaluation design, (3) an early implementation study and in-depth implementation study of programs receiving the 2020 DOL SCSEP grants, and (4) an evaluability assessment and future research options for DOL to consider for conducting rigorous studies that will build evidence on the effectiveness of programs serving older workers.
To meet the project’s goals, this report reviews the literature and identifies the state of the evidence on workforce programs, including those that serve older workers and populations with similar employment barriers. It describes the following:

1. The characteristics of older workers
2. Workforce challenges facing older workers
3. The landscape of workforce programs serving older adults
4. Workforce program strategies
5. The impact of program strategies on outcomes
6. Strategies to address employment barriers
7. The impact of COVID-19 on the labor market and workforce programs
8. Knowledge gaps

This targeted review of existing knowledge and data identifies the unique workforce challenges facing older workers and other populations with similar employment barriers; describes SCSEP and other workforce programs serving older workers; provides important context on the environment that these programs operate in, both before and during the pandemic; and highlights promising approaches and service strategies. However, further information and analysis are needed to fully inform the continuous improvement of SCSEP and other workforce programs serving these populations. Future activities conducted under Urban’s Older Workers Implementation and Descriptive Study will build evidence to help address the remaining knowledge gaps.

• Last Updated:
• Created:
• Resource Publication Date: 2023
• Author(s): Butrica, B.
• Funding Source: U.S. Department of Labor
• Resource Availability: Publicly available
• Posted by: Justin Venneri
• Posted in: Workforce System Strategies