The Impact of Longevity on the Future of Work

Over the past century, there has been an unprecedented rise in life expectancy, jumping from 54 in 1919 to 79 today.  While increased longevity means workers will need to continue working past traditional retirement age in order to stay solvent, declining birth rates mean that organizations will need employees to stay productive for longer in order to fuel growth. What all these longevity and demographic trends mean is that the labor force will remain generationally diverse for many, many years – yet outdated beliefs about aging and assumptions based on ageist stereotypes often persist in ways that shape organizational culture and practices. 

Additionally, historically low unemployment rates mean you can’t afford to overlook vast swathes of the working population-based on erroneous notions about what people are capable of at what ages. Building an age-inclusive culture prepares organizations for the future of work and helps boost efforts to put human capital at the center of your strategic advantage.