Millions of Older Workers in Occupations Classified as Physically Demanding

[Hannah Bell]

Millions of Older Workers in Occupations Classified as Physically Demanding
Mods please note: this is a press release, not copyright material

For Immediate Release: August 5, 2010
Contact: Alan Barber, [phone] x115

Washington, D.C.- Among the proposals to cut Social Security, raising the age of retirement as high as 70 has emerged as one of the most likely scenarios. As with most of the suggested cuts, little consideration has been given to the potential impact on retirees. A new study from the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), examines the occupations of older workers in physically demanding jobs or jobs with difficult work conditions to better assess the impact of raising the retirement age on these workers.

"Many older workers are in jobs that require substantial physical effort, jobs that may not afford them the option of working into their 70s in order to get full retirement benefits," said Hye Jin Rho, author of the paper.

The report, "Hard Work? Patterns in Physically Demanding Labor Among Older Workers," documents the number of older workers in physically demanding jobs or jobs with difficult work conditions. The study examines workers based on a variety of demographic characteristics, including gender, age cohort, ethnicity, and income quintile and shows that in 2009, 45 percent of workers age 58 and older had physically demanding jobs or jobs with difficult working conditions.

Other findings of the report include:

•37 percent of male workers age 58 and older had physically demanding jobs,

•Among those age 58 and older, difficult jobs were held by 62.4 percent of Latino workers, 53.2 percent of black workers, 50.5 percent of Asian Pacific American workers, and 42.6 percent of white workers.

•Older workers with less than a high school diploma had the highest share of workers (77.2 percent) in difficult jobs.

•56.4 percent of older workers in the bottom wage quintile had physically demanding jobs compared to only about 17 percent of those in the top quintile.

•63.3 percent of older workers in the bottom wage quintile had difficult jobs compared to only about 25 percent of those in the top quintile.

This study demonstrates that a large number of workers would be adversely affected by raising the normal retirement age. As with all the proposals to cut Social Security, careful consideration should be given to effects on the millions of older workers who will have little else to depend on in their retirement.

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Center for Economic and Policy Research, 1611 Connecticut Ave, NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20009

[WingDinger]

1. If they ever make it that far. I was industrially poisined, and denied SSdis.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

11. I'm a 59 year old Sheet Metal worker

Try strapping on 50 pounds of tools, throw a 40 pound piece of pipe over your shoulder and climb up and down a ladder (think stairmaster) for eight hours a day. There is no fucking way I can do this till I'm 70. My body is worn out!

[damntexdem]

2. More important, people age at different rates.

Some of us anticipate working at least into our 70s. But whatever the physical requirements of their jobs, many simply cannot continue working, even into their 60s. Raising the retirement age always means withdrawing needed support from those who cannot remain employed. In fact, what is really needed is provision for earlier retirement than even 62, with adequate evidence of the inability to stay employed.

And, no, disability benefits are not the answer -- not unless access to those benefits is much improved.

[Robbien]

3. The old codgers in Congress can work into their seventies and eighties

because they have dozens of staff attending to all their needs, both at work and home.

It is disheartening to see so many of older workers having to do hard physical labor.

[Crazy Dave]

4. Even if the jobs aren't physically demanding....

How many people do you see at your workplace that are 60 plus? Many older "top heavy" workers get let go in their 50's in order to hire younger or H1B people cheaper.

Then the flip side may be, if wages get knocked down enough, that the more older workers who can't retire until 70 makes less jobs available to those in their 20s.

We are so fucked it ain't even funny!

[Donnachaidh]

5. k&r n/t

[G_j]

6. K&R

[AnneD]

7. I can't begin to tell you ...

how old some of the floor Nurses are, but most nurses have to leave for musculoskeletal injury (which is cumulative) or latex allergy. I have gone back to work on the floor and with the patient load, patient acuity, weight, etc., it is a young persons game. Nurses are required to lift more than those burly UPS drivers. No matter how careful I was, every time I went back, I was always getting injured. There comes a point were I don't heal as quick or as well as I did when I was younger. I don't want to go back to the floor and face permanent disability esp. if I have inadequate health coverage. It is not worth the risk.

[laughingliberal]

9. There's a reason the average retirement age of nurses is 57. And it ain't cause we can afford it. nt

[Nay]

8. And don't forget that even cubicle workers get tendinitis, arthritis,

carpal tunnel, tennis elbow, back problems, etc., just from typing, sitting too much, and using a mouse constantly. My hands hurt me nearly all the time. If I had to work until I was 70, I would be crippled. I hope to bail at age 62.

[laughingliberal]

10. Some civilized nations actually have provisions for earlier retirement for 'arduous' occupations.

Try telling that to Alan Simpson who never had to do anything but sit on his wrinkled old butt and run his hateful, fucking mouth.

[amborin]

12. K&R

[era veteran]

13. I have to take percocet to have a decent day at work

I am sure that a Catch 22 will doom me. What happens if I make a bad decision or fuck something up? Fired for drugs? The only reason I need the drug is work. The reason I am prescribed the drug is work. The man uses you & throws you away. I still want to work and I'm afraid to initiate Social Security Disability. Walk a mile in my shoes you coddled, callous, pricks.