Ventura, Calif. – The Ventura County Area Agency on Aging and all of California is celebrating September 23-29, 2018, as National Employ Older Workers Week (NEOWW) to highlight and promote the importance of recognizing the talents and contributions of this population in keeping California competitive in a rapidly changing global marketplace.  The theme of the NEOWW 2018 campaign is “Their Knowledge, Their Skills, Their Abilities – Why Not Hire an Older Worker?”

This week acknowledges the many public and private organizations that actively recruit and employ older workers.  Employers and community leaders are encouraged to consider this labor pool as a valuable state resource. Celebrating NEOWW also serves as an important reminder to older workers that they are an asset in today’s workplace.

Older Americans are living longer and are more active, healthy, and independent than ever before and unprecedented numbers are continuing to thrive in the 21^st Century workplace.  According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the labor force participation rate is expected to increase fastest for the oldest segments of the population–most notably, people ages 65 to 74 and 75 and older–through 2024.

NEOWW provides a time to acknowledge the positive contributions of this experienced workforce. Older workers are valued for having a good work ethic and for providing experience, knowledge, and dependability in the workplace. It makes good business sense for employers to engage the skills, knowledge, and abilities of older workers.

NEOWW has been observed in California since 1959.  It is celebrated annually throughout the nation during the last full week in September.

The Ventura County Area Agency on Aging, an agency of the County of Ventura, is the principal agency in Ventura County charged with the responsibility to promote the development and implementation of a comprehensive coordinated system of care that enables older individuals, individuals with disabilities, and their caregivers to live in a community-based setting and to advocate for the needs of those 60 years of age and older in the county, as well as individuals with disabilities, providing leadership and promoting citizen involvement in the planning process as well as in the delivery of services.

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