Older Workers: Department of Labor Should Help State and Local Partners Share Promising Practices - GAO-26-107439 - Q&A Report to Congressional Requesters January 29, 2026

Oct 15, 2026

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Older workers make up a growing share of the U.S. workforce, rising from 15% in 2003 to 23% in 2023. Federal workforce development programs may address challenges affecting older adults’ ability to find and retain jobs, including skill demand and limits in effective job-search strategies. The report reviews workforce support for workers 55+, including program participation shares, participant perspectives, and employment outcomes after exiting programs, and assesses how the Department of Labor helps partners share promising practices.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Why This Matters

Which Federal Agencies and Programs Help Older Workers Find Jobs?

DOL-Administered Programs

Education-Administered Program

U.S. Government Accountability Office Older Workers: Department of Labor Should Help State and Local Partners Share Promising Practices GAO-26-107439 Q&A Report to Congressional Requesters January 29, 2026 Why This Matters Older workers represent an increasing share of the U.S. workforce. From 2003 to 2023, individuals 55 and older increased their share of the workforce from 15 percent to 23 percent, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Research has suggested that greater life expectancy, improved educational attainment, and increases to the age for receiving full Social Security benefits are among factors that may have contributed to greater workforce participation among older adults. Federal workforce development programs may help older workers manage challenges that could affect their ability to find and retain jobs, such as demand for new skills or limited knowledge of effective job search strategies. These programs are administered primarily by the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Department of Education through a network of state and local partners. We were asked to review employment support for older workers. This report provides information on the share of workforce program participants who are 55 and older, their perspectives as participants, and their employment rates after exiting the programs. This report also examines the extent to which DOL has helped state and local partners share information to support older workers. Key Takeaways • Individuals 55 and older accounted for about 22 percent of participants (769 ,000 individuals) across six selected federal workforce development programs we examined using program year 2023 (July 2023 through June 2024) data, the most recent. Compared to younger participants, these older adults were less likely to find a job after exiting a program. For example, about 60 percent of older adults reported having a job in the second quarter after exiting DOL-administered programs—compared to about 69 percent of participants ages 40–54 and 73 percent of participants ages 16–39. • Older workers we interviewed at job centers in five states said participating in workforce development programs helped them learn digital literacy skills and get employment and training opportunities in their communities. They also described challenges obtaining a job, including navigating the job application process , developing new skills, and managing potential age discrimination by employers. • Job center officials told us that the older workers they served had unique employment needs compared to younger workers. They said additional support or tools focused on older workers would help them better meet these needs. Some state and local partners in locations we visited had initiatives to address the needs of older workers. However, these were ad hoc practices. We recommend that DOL facilitate information sharing among its partners on promising practices that could support this population. Which federal agencies and programs help older workers find jobs? DOL and Education administer several federal workforce development programs that include older workers among their participants. We selected six of these programs for our review: five that are administered by DOL and one by Education. DOL-Administered Programs Three Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) programs. DOL’s Employment and Training Administration administers three workforce programs for adults under WIOA. These programs are the WIOA Adult, WIOA Dislocated Worker, and Wagner-Peyser programs. 1 • Both the WIOA Adult and WIOA Dislocated Worker programs provide individualized career and training services to customers. Additionally , the Dislocated Worker program proactively reaches out to workers who have been laid off and provides resources and guidance to employers to help prevent future layoffs. • The Wagner-Peyser program provides job search assistance and other services to jobseekers and refers q

FAQs

How many program participants are 55 and older, and what share find jobs after exiting?

Individuals 55 and older accounted for about 22% of participants across six selected federal programs. Compared with younger participants, older adults were less likely to find a job after exiting, with about 60% reporting a job in the second quarter after exiting DOL-administered programs versus about 69% for ages 40–54 and 73% for ages 16–39.

What perspectives did older workers share about workforce development programs?

Older workers interviewed at job centers in five states said the programs helped them learn digital literacy skills and access employment and training opportunities in their communities. They also described challenges such as navigating job applications, developing new skills, and managing potential age discrimination by employers.

What does the report recommend the Department of Labor do for state and local partners?

Job center officials said older workers have unique employment needs compared with younger workers and that additional support or tools focused on older workers would help meet those needs. The report notes some partner initiatives are ad hoc and recommends that DOL facilitate information sharing among partners on promising practices that could support older workers.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bintang